The Summer That Lasted So Long
by Devabbi
Summary: After getting picked up by an old friend, Riddick decides to keep Jack - but as what? And to what cost? Eventually R/J. Set after Pitch Black, no DF or TCOR. Rating subject to change. DISCONTINUED.
1. Over the Rainbow

My Labyrinth and Inuyasha-based readers must be groaning, thinking, _Damn it, she's starting another one_! I can't say that I'm sorry, I write what I feel like writing, and if I don't write out one plot bunny, it eats the outlines for the other stories... So you'll just have to deal with me having more than one. In case you haven't followed one of my stories before, I work in chunks. I'll write usually about five chapters or so in a day, and then lose my muse for a month or two... and make a comeback later on. I usually finish what I started. :)

I'm still wondering about making Riddick a total psychopath. :) We'll just have to see.

And yes, I do have a habit of naming my fics after songs - this one's titled after Under the Sun by Sugar Ray, but it's got nothing to do with the story. I just liked the idea of calling it a summer... You'll see why.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything Riddick-affiliated... but, God, I wish I did. I wish I had Vin Diesel on a contract of uncertain terms. Can you imagine Vin in _bed_? Those _hands_? That **_voice_**? _Mmm_... But yeah, I don't own anything, and I don't make any profit from these, except to satisfy my own curious imagination... but no money. Unfortunately.

* * *

It was almost a week before they were picked up. Luckily, they had found some bottled water in the shitty first-aid kit. It was the first bit of luck they had gotten in a long time, and Riddick rationed it out carefully – just enough to keep from getting dehydrated. He took less than they did too, especially after he had to clean the gash in his leg. The Imam told them biblical stories and Jack taught them number games to keep from boredom, and they slept when they were tired. Riddick didn't sleep. He made sure that Jack stayed coherent, that they weren't getting snuck up on by some merc ship.

Five days in, she laid in his arms, weak. She slept more than half the day now, and he didn't complain. It preserved energy, it made it so she didn't have to feel the hunger pangs. Imam was asleep on the bench behind them. He had his feet up on the console as she stared blankly out into the stars, and he listened to her stomach complain in time with his. He wondered if she was actually conscious or not, glancing down at her and not letting the worry come out on his face, in case she was.

So quietly that he wasn't sure if she had said it or if she had thought it, she whispered, "We're going to die on this ship, aren't we?"

"No," he replied, and frowned at the sound of his own voice. Rougher than usual, strained, cracked. His hand searched for one of the water bottles and he took a small sip, just to refresh his throat. He made Jack take a mouthful too, and she drank it without question. "We'll get picked up. I promise." Before he knew what he was doing, he kissed her temple. She had already fallen asleep.

She didn't wake up again. Riddick tried and failed to get her to respond to him, but she was quiet, her breathing shallow. He forced some water past her lips, more than her usual ration. He'd go without. He pressed a hand to her forehead and it was impossibly hot, making him frown worriedly. As he turned to ask the Imam something, he stopped with his mouth open. He was asleep, and Riddick couldn't remember the last time he was awake. He shook Jack slightly, and she didn't respond.

He shuddered and just held her in his arms, hoping against hope that he hadn't wasted his time in saving her, in getting attached to her. That was where they found him when the gigantic ship reeled in the tiny skiff. He was the last one awake, and the Imam was barely breathing. He put Jack into the pilot's seat, and she protested with a whine, proving that she was still alive. It made his heart soar, the first sound she'd made in days. He stood, holding onto a bar above him as the docking door opened. He swayed on his feet, but raised his shiv defensively.

Someone said his name, and he vaguely recognized the voice, from long, long ago. His vision was swimming and his hearing was warbled, as if he were in water. He managed to growl as a manly figure stood before him at the end of the ramp. He coughed once before he fell, the shiv slipping from his fingers as he succumbed to hunger and dehydration and his vision went black.

* * *

Some time later, his eyes snapped open and he was blinded by fluorescent lights. He hated fluorescent lights. He closed his eyes tightly again and groaned, trying to bring a hand to his face but finding that he was handcuffed. Someone in the room laughed, and Riddick had to rely on his sense of hearing to figure where they were. He wasn't naked, which was usually a good sign, even though one pant leg was gone up to his upper thigh. He was reminded of the gash in his leg. Now that he noticed, both his hands were handcuffed to the sides of a bed that felt like either a slam cot or a hospital bed. He had needles in the crooks of both of his elbows, and he could feel the fluids that were slowly replenishing his body's reserves.

"Good to see you awake, Rich," the man said. Riddick stiffened. No one had called him that since he left Furya. His head tilted as the man continued to speak, "Never thought I'd see you again, you huge bastard." Something touched his jaw and he jerked away. "Relax, they're your goggles." He felt the familiar tightness of them close around his head and squinted his eyes open first, just in case. He allowed his eyes to adjust and looked up at the man in the room.

His face was handsome by universal standards, with ice-blue eyes that shined like his, but in color and had no problem with the bright lights. He wasn't a hunk of muscle like Riddick, but it was clear that he had complete control over his body, and knew how to throw it around. He had one gun at his hip, but several knives. He wore a shirt loose enough to show off part of a glowing hand print that matched the one that occasionally glowed on Riddick. He remembered him from before he ever left Furya.

He scowled. "Devon," he said flatly.

Devon grinned widely at him. "So you do remember me! Excellent, glad to see that you're coherent. Now," he was about to continue when Riddick lunged against his restraints again, putting them less than a foot from each other.

"Where's Jack?" he demanded.

After blinking, Devon said, "Oh, the girl? Next room over." He walked to a wall with a window on it and opened the blinds that separated the two, allowing Riddick to see her in a matching bed. She wasn't wearing cuffs, but looked a lot worse than when he had last seen her. "Poor thing was so dehydrated, her immune system was down. She's got a lung infection. Should be fine in a few more days, Jadenn thinks."

Riddick's eyes didn't leave Jack until he saw her chest rise and fall several times, assuring him that she was alive, breathing. From the looks of it, breathing deeper than she had when she'd been asleep on the ship. He looked back at Devon. "Where are we?" he asked next.

"My ship, the Fury," he answered. He looked down his nose at Riddick and then grinned wolfishly. "The girl your daughter?" he asked. Riddick gave him a flat look and he relented, shrugging. "Doesn't matter, I know she's not... DNA doesn't match, we checked. How long were you out there?" he asked curiously.

It bothered Riddick that he actually had to think about it. "Six days," he replied slowly. "Only a half gallon of water between the three of us." Devon nodded, that explained the dehydration. Riddick stared at him again and then asked, "You got out?"

Devon laughed. "You're kidding, right? We were gone before that Necromonger dickhead even found out about the Elementals' prophecy. Last living Furyans are on this ship – now that you're here, it makes all of us." Riddick fought the urge to ask how many – how many of his kin had actually escaped. "Four hundred and sixty two," Devon said, as if reading his mind. That bothered Riddick too... Even more that he knew an exact number.

He moved on to the next question, trying to gain the upper hand in the conversation. "Why am I cuffed?"

Again, Devon laughed. "Are you serious? I can't imagine all the shit you had to do to get someone to put a one million dollar bounty on your head, and you think I'd let you loose on my ship? Come on, you know I'm not an idiot." He smirked at Riddick.

His eyes darkened. "I haven't seen you in twenty years, I don't know shit," he replied. Devon shrugged. "I'm not gonna kill any Furyans, Devon, you should fuckin' know that much." Riddick was angry and he wasn't entirely sure why... that wasn't new, though. Again, he shrugged, even as he reached for the keys to the cuffs. As he was let loose, Riddick removed the two intravenous needles, adjusted the goggles on his eyes, and sat up to examine himself. The cuffs hadn't left marks, at least. He again looked up at Jack in the next room.

"What are you gonna do now, Riddick? For all anyone knows, you and everyone else died on that planet." Riddick looked up at him, wondering how he knew. Devon sighed, tired of explaining himself. "The Imam woke up yesterday and told me everything... Can't blame him, Kerrin had a knife at his dick," he said, and shrugged.

Riddick felt a sudden surge of rage and scowled darkly at Devon. "Your entire family make it out alive?" he demanded, letting the anger show in his face.

His eyes narrowed. "Your sister killed herself, Riddick, and you can't blame that on me." Riddick looked away from him with a sharp turn of his head. Devon's tone softened, and he told him, "You can stay on the ship for as long as you like, or we can put you back on the skiff with more supplies so you can go where you want."

For the first time in a very long time, Riddick considered someone besides himself. If it were just him, he'd be off this heap and in that skiff already. Devon would be lying in a pool of his blood on the floor. He looked hard at Jack and knew that she trusted him like an older brother. He had promised he'd take care of her back on that skiff, and he didn't break promises. His jaw worked from side to side as he thought. She'd slow him down if he ran with her, but as Devon said... they probably thought they were all dead. Even if the insurance company for the Hunter-Gratzner made it out to that planet and found all the bodies and a few missing coils, they'd never be able to figure out where they had gone. Everything on that planet had been solar-powered, including the security cameras he'd seen – nothing to prove that they'd left the planet. Nothing to prove that they survived.

Slowly, he tilted his head. "What would you have me do if I stayed aboard?" he asked Devon.

He shrugged. "What you can, whatever you're good at."

Riddick laughed. "I'm good at killing, Devon," he spat. "Got a job for that?" Devon shrugged. Riddick sighed, and looked at Jack again. "Alright. But she stays with me."

He almost argued, but thought better of it, and just nodded. Riddick nodded back and asked, "How long have I been here?"

"Two days," Devon answered. "She hasn't woken up even once yet." Riddick got out of the bed and went to the door. A nurse down the hall was surprised to see him up, but Devon fended her off with the flick of a hand. Riddick went in the next door, where the lights were dimmer so that she could sleep. He closed the shades between the two rooms and pushed his goggles up against his forehead. He leaned an elbow above her head and faintly discovered that he didn't smell too pleasant at all. It made sense, he'd been in cryo for weeks, then been on a planet where he had to run around carrying heavy shit through thick dirt and hot sunlight, and fought against monsters with blue guts, and then sat on a ship for six days. The rain wouldn't have washed away much.

Regardless, he glanced at his hand and found it clean. They'd probably cleaned what they could, keep him from infection. That explained his missing pant leg. He'd have to demand a new pair later. He ran his hand down the side of Jack's face, felt the fuzz of her hair. Even as stubble, it was soft. He couldn't imagine it if she grew it out. She drew in one ragged breath after another, and it hurt him to hear it. He could hear the fluid in her lungs, but knew she'd fight it.

Devon cleared his throat from the doorway. Riddick turned his head to glare at him, but Devon just motioned towards a chair against the wall. Riddick glanced at it before he put back a bare foot – where the hell were his boots? - and drew the chair closer. He sat in it and ran a hand from Jack's shoulder to her hand, being careful of the needles stuck in her arm. He frowned, wondering why there had to be three of them. He had a feeling she hated needles, though he didn't know why.

"Don't leave the room, alright? I'll be back later," Devon told him. Riddick just snorted. He wouldn't leave Jack anyways.

* * *

Riddick was tracing lines across her palm when she woke up. She just opened her eyes and stared at him, so quiet and so little change in her heartbeat that he didn't even notice. He was so wrapped up in her little hand that lay in his with such trust, was able to be comforted just by his warmth. He absently wondered just how many people had met their end at the end of his shiv or through the brutal force of his hands, and wondered if Jack had any idea how high the number really was. The government only knew so much.

He became aware that he was being stared at and his eyes snapped to hers. His back immediately straightened and he brought his hands back into his lap. She mourned the loss of warmth. Her hands were the only parts of her that were actually warm, not just at a comfortable room temperature. Her toes and ears were cold. She knew better than to complain about being cold. She glanced around and frowned that the light was so dim, but looked back at his face. She appreciated being able to see his eyes that looked so much like moonlight.

As if unsure, he raised a hand and she smiled reassuringly as he touched her shoulder, and then her face. She leaned into the large hand and closed her eyes, smiling more. "You're awake," he said, his voice quiet and unreadable.

She frowned. "How long was I out?" she croaked. She made a face at her voice, and Riddick chuckled. His hand moved from her face, fingertips tracing the edge of her neck, along her jugular.

"Four days," he said softly. Jack felt her ears ring with the sound. "You were dehydrated and your immune system was down, and you caught yourself a lung infection." Jack scowled at her weakness. His fingers curled to the back of her neck and she barely noticed, aside from the warmth. "I've been here since I woke up." She looked up at him, surprised. He had actually passed out? She opened her mouth to ask, but he just told her, "Even I can't fight severe hydration, Jack. I hadn't eaten in two weeks, hadn't had a drink in a week, maybe more. Johns wasn't as nice to me as he was to you." His eyes were distant and he toyed affectionately with the baby hairs that she had missed when she had hacked her hair, just behind her ears.

Jack gave him a dark look. Riddick had clued her in to the events that led Johns to his death, and then she just smirked at him. "You look worried, Riddick," she said mischievously. "Were you worried that I wouldn't wake up?" she tilted her head at him.

He pulled his hand away from her abruptly. "Never had a doubt," he echoed her words from what now seemed so long ago, and she laughed at him.


	2. Time to Pretend

Jack fell asleep again and Riddick hovered like a worried mother hen. He didn't look it, on the outside, but when you paid enough attention to the situation, you could see it. He never left her side for more than a minute or two at a time, and when he did, it was just to go to the bathroom. If no one else was in the room, he left the door open so that he could still hear her breathing deeply.

The Imam had come to visit before she fell asleep, and as soon as she was a sleep, he reminded Riddick again of the danger that Jack faced with him, how she appeared prone to hero worship. How naïve she was, how unsure she was of her dark hero. Riddick had said nothing at first, until the Imam questioned his motives. If he didn't know Devon had less of a heart than he did and would not hesitate to throw him, Jack, and the Imam out of an airlock, he would've put a shiv through the Imam's throat for suggesting that Riddick was a pedophile.

"She's going to stay with me," he decided t he third day Jack was in the hospital bed, after the Imam had gotten through with his usual daily lecture. He hadn't been sure until then, and as he protested, Riddick just slowly turned his head towards him and stared, his face a completely blank slate. The frosty gaze had sent men twice the Imam's size and stature running for the hills. The Imam just stiffened his back, frowned at him, and left the room.

Riddick reached for the back of Jack's neck again, petting the hairs there and watching her face as she slept peacefully. No nightmares. It was odd that she wouldn't have any nightmares, considering what they had been through back on the eclipsed planet. He figured it had something to do with his presence, the way he was almost constantly touching her as she slept.

Devon came into the room quietly. Riddick had threatened his unborn children the day before when he came in too loudly, almost waking the sleeping girl. He stood across the bed from Riddick, mainly to buy himself a few seconds of time, should he anger the big man too much. "What is she to you, Rich?" he whispered, knowing that Riddick would've heard him if he had whispered in the next room.

At first, Riddick ignored him. Deciding otherwise, Riddick slowly raised his eyes to Devon's and he blinked at him as if to ask why. Devon put a hand on the edge of the hospital bed and leaned forward. Riddick didn't like that, and he growled to prove it. Devon didn't move, instead telling him, "You need to tell me something, Rich, because folks are starting to talk. A kid like her won't last long alone here, and unless you're connected by something, she's not allowed to live with you."

Riddick bared his teeth at Devon, hissing, "Why the fuck not?" His eyes flashed. He was angry.

He picked his hand up off of the bed and leaned back. "Because, Rich, we have laws here. Once a kid's fourteen, they're expected to be fully functional adults. If they're with their parents, they can stay with them or move, but if they're orphans, they have no choice. So I'll ask you again, what are you to her?" he asked again, this time more insistent.

"She's only thirteen," Riddick protested, but Devon remained silent. It only served to make Riddick madder. He looked at Jack. Quelling his anger by putting one hand over her wrist, Riddick scowled thunderously at Devon. Just a stare had sent the Imam running, but Devon only stared back at him indifferently. He forced himself to stop being mad and hear what Devon was saying. He took a deep breath, but it just brought more of Jack's sent into his nose and it didn't help him think at all. "Her guardian. Bodyguard. Whatever you want to call it, I'm not leaving her alone," he said, his decision flat and final. He looked away from Devon to say that he was done with him.

Devon tilted his head. "She's just a kid, Rich," he said softly.

Pointing the end of a shiv only inches from Devon's chin, Riddick replied without looking at him. "I know that, Devon. But she's _mine_." There was a questionably feral note to his voice with the word. "And I'm not leaving her alone. Do you understand or do I have to spell it out for you in blood?" he asked, tilting his head back towards Devon and giving him another chilling look. Devon was still trying to figure out where the shiv had come from – they had removed all weaponry when he had first collapsed.

Still, he nodded his head. "That'll do," he said softly. He wisely didn't say anything else as he left the room.

* * *

Jack was staying awake longer and longer each time, and at the end of the week, she could finally stay awake all day. The doctors were surprised at her progress, and Riddick was silently proud. Only once did he give her an approving smirk over a doctor's shoulder, but she savored that moment. She was sure she wouldn't get another one for a long time.

As soon as she was discharged from the infirmary, one of Devon's brothers came to escort them to their rooms. Riddick vaguely remembered him as Dante, and struggled to remember just how many Galbraith kids there were to begin with. Ten? Eleven? Suffice to say that their mother had gotten around. They all knew it, but none of them seemed to care. Dante talked to Riddick the entire way, though Riddick usually only answered with one word, a snort, or a grunt. Dante was so familiar with him, even after so long. He was almost the youngest Galbraith boy, and Riddick was usually closer to Devon, but Riddick supposed it was something like hero worship.

Dante led them to their new chambers, and he opened the door with a dramatic flourish. "Here we are, your suites, sire," he said, flashing a toothy grin. Jack stopped to stare at his grin that showed off two pointed canines, like fangs, before Riddick gave her a little push into the room. He eyed the place dubiously. There was a front room, with a sofa, viewscreen, a recliner, and a small kitchen and dining area all in the same room. Two doors led into two bedrooms, with one shared bathroom. Riddick immediately knew he would have to set some ground rules regarding the bathroom, and he looked at Dante dismissively.

Ignoring him, Dante told them, "The doors lock automatically, and read your voices. Unless you tell the door to open, it'll stay locked, and only you can open it from the outside. Simple fingerprint technology, but it's worked well for this long, so we figure we're doing something right." He beamed at them, and Riddick's glare grew more dubious. Jack looked more and more enthusiastic as Dante spoke, and so Riddick scowled and dealt with it. "The bathroom's got endless hot water, kitchen sink too, and the fridge is mainly for drinks and leftovers. Everyone usually eats in the cafeteria, or gets the food from there and brings it up here. Viewscreens have all the basic channels, and a library of movies and archives available. There's clothes in there that'll fit you both, but just bare necessities – you can go shopping soon as you earn yourself some credits. Actually, I think Devon loaned you a few-"

Riddick scowled. "No need. I've got some." He was vague on the amount because he really didn't want them to know how much he had stolen off the dead crew and passengers that he'd found back on the planet. He frowned. Best not to let Jack know where he'd gotten them either... Maybe tell her Johns had them. She'd go for that.

Startled quiet for a moment, Dante just nodded. "Of course. There's maps and signs and stuff all over, so you'll have no trouble finding what you need... The intercom next to the door goes straight to the front desk, Devon's got orders to patch you through if you need him, so... Yeah. You guys have fun." He gave them a thumbs up and left the room.

Jack looked at Riddick from the corner of her eyes, wondering. He'd seemed tense all day today, and she had no idea why. Finally, she stretched her arms above her head and told him, "Well, I dunno about you, but I could go for some food." She grinned at him.

He almost said no, just to be an asshole. There was a time when he wouldn't have bought anyone food. He just smirked and waved a hand at her. He made a point to memorize the number on their door, doubting he'd be able to find his way back later without it. Like Dante said, there was a map beside the elevators. "He said the cafeteria, right?" Jack asked, even though she knew what he said. Riddick didn't bother answering, and she didn't bother expecting one. "Fifth level," she said, and beamed up at him. He found himself smirking back before he could stop his facial muscles from reacting. Damn it, she really was getting under his skin.

As the elevator came to their floor and they got on, it was surprisingly quiet and fast, bringing them from level thirty-two to five in a manner of moments. Jack bounded out of the elevator and Riddick wandered behind her at a slower pace. He ignored the stares he was getting and looked up at the ceiling. The lighting in the cafeteria seemed more natural due to soft bulbs that hung at varying heights to illuminate all three tiers. It was three-tiered with small restaurants like an old school mall food court, tables set up everywhere, and one entire wall open to the black and stars of deep space. Jack looked out in awe and got excited. She pushed herself against the glass. As Riddick came up behind her, he caught her reciting all of the systems and galaxies that she could see. He leaned close and said, "Didn't know you were so smart, Jack."

Her spine straightened and she frowned at him. Giving him a flat look, she lifted her chin at him, and replied, "I used to be top of my class." She looked away from him, back out to the stars.

It hit him that he didn't really know much about her past. Knew plenty about just her, but nothing of her history... She didn't know much about his either. He'd fix that later. "Let's get some food." She immediately agreed as her stomach demanded something better than what they had brought her in the hospital bed. Riddick paid with one of the chips that he'd palmed off of a dead man, and didn't feel bad for it. If he hadn't used it, the dead man sure as hell wouldn't. He carried the food on the way back, not trusting Jack to see that the food made it all the way to their rooms.

She found plates and utensils in the little kitchen and set the table like a pro. He shot her another odd look and knew he'd have some questions later. She got them both glasses of water while he divvied up the food, some kind of roasted bird and vegetables. It didn't matter what it was, it smelled damn good. He didn't know how long it'd been since he'd last eaten a real meal... Probably before Johns caught him in the first place, months ago.

Jack actually had table manners too. Not the kind where she was really trying to make an impression, just habits. Keep your elbows off the table, don't talk with your mouth full, take small bites and chew before swallowing. He tilted his head at her and finally asked, "So how did you wind up alone on the H.G.?"

Chewing and swallowing her bite of meat, Jack replied, "How far back do you want to know, Riddick? My whole life story, or just when it started to go downhill?" Her eyes were dark, and he didn't like the look on her face. She didn't want to talk about it. He shrugged, let her tell what she wanted to tell. She put down her fork and musingly drank some water. He marveled at the fact that a preteen could actually drink water musingly, and furthermore at the fact that he thought of that word first.

"I was born on Mars," she began. Riddick almost cringed. The planet was so ancient and so decrepit now that it was mostly ghettos, gang territories, and crime rings. "My mom died having me, and my dad raised me by himself. Taught me how to defend myself, to adapt to my surroundings... I think he used to be a con like you, Riddick, the reason that was where I was born. He taught me things that kids learn in high school, made me smart... Said that just because we were poor didn't mean we had to act like it, that I didn't have to be a street rat if I didn't want to be. I could be anything I wanted. Sometimes I said I wanted to be a princess, so he taught me manners and etiquette and all that crap... Some of it stuck, some of it didn't." She paused and took another bite of vegetables, chewing them to death before swallowing. She'd just made an example of her statement, and Riddick almost smirked.

She tilted her head to one side and didn't seem to be looking at him anymore. "One day he came and told me that he was in trouble, and that I had to run, I had to find somewhere else to live. He said he knew I could do it, and stuck me on a charter as far as he could get me." She took a deep breath and looked up at him as she said, "I nearly got raped on that ship, by the crew, and I took off on the next stop. Started pretending that I was a guy. Never made it where it was my dad wanted me to go, can't remember where it was to begin with... Jumped on the H.G. at random. I really had no reason to get on it, but I remember seeing Johns wheel you up and into a cryo cell and wanting to follow you, so I did. The rest is history." She spread her hands wide and shrugged.

There was a moment of silence, and then Riddick slowly finished his bite. If she was going to bother to have manners, he could too. "What's your real name, Jack?" he asked suddenly.

She stared at him and frowned. She pushed some vegetables around her plate and scowled. "Knew you'd figure that one out..." she muttered, but then looked at him again as she told him, "Abby." Her cheeks flushed as she waited for him to laugh at her.

Instead of laughing, he told her, "My middle name is Beaufort." She lifted her eyes to his and stared for a moment before she started to laugh, and he joined her, their laughter mixing and rising in the room and allowing the tension from their conversation, and from their entire experience together, dissipate into the atmosphere.

* * *

Beaufort is a camp joke, I don't expect anyone to laugh at anything besides the fact that it sounds funny to begin with. Richard Beaufort Riddick XD Oh, I crack myself up... Am I making Riddick too soft? Relax, he'll get worse again. :)

This chapter was posted super-quick mainly because I wrote it so quickly, and because I wanted to get the Beaufort joke out...


	3. Unintended

Updating quickly because of reviews... :) They make me happy and make me write more. At the moment, I've written through chapter 6, and now I've got a plot! YAY! And yes, Riddick does seem a bit squishy. Don't worry, he still has his edge. Just doesn't quite need it yet.

Keep in mind Carolyn's line: "There's gotta be some part of you that wants to rejoin the human race, Riddick." (I probably got it wrong, but I know that's close and I know she said it...)

* * *

After dinner, Jack cleared the table and cleaned the dishes, putting them in a rack beside the sink. She found a bottle of whiskey in a cupboard, with a note to Riddick from Devon. She brought him a glass and handed him the note. He seemed surprised, reading the note in one hand while he swirled the liquid in his other hand. He made a surprised but pleased sound and tossed the note onto the coffee table. He laid his arm along the back of the sofa, and took a drink of the whiskey. It was good. It burned, but it had been so long since he'd had something like this that he didn't care. He enjoyed it.

Jack stood by the couch, fiddling with the ends of her shirt nervously. He stared at her until she looked at him again, and then nodded towards the empty space beside him. She immediately sat down, and with a little more coaxing, was curled up against his side, her head on his thigh and her feet hanging off of the edge of the couch as he played with the delicate peach fuzz that was beginning to grow back. He stared at the blank viewscreen in thought. "I'm gonna take care of you now, Jack," he said finally. He looked down at her and she seemed to like that idea, smiling.

She fell asleep in no time. He sat there, finishing his whiskey and enjoying her presence until his ass fell asleep and it occurred to him that he hadn't actually slept since he'd been knocked out, and hadn't slept before that since cryo on the H.G. He put the glass down on the coffee table before he eased Jack into his arms, taking her to bed. He took off her shoes and hesitated with his hands on her ankles, wondering about sending her to sleep in her day clothes. Finally he just shook his head and pulled the blankets over her.

He sat on the edge of the bed and played with her short hair for a few more minutes and found himself hoping she would let it grow out. She sighed and twisted one of the pillows unconsciously, making herself comfortable. He put one hand on the wall and kissed her temple, making her smile in her sleep, before he left the room. He went into the bathroom first and showered, amazed at the amount of grime that came off of his skin. He lost a shade or two of his tan and smirked at the thought.

After finding a pair of pajama pants in one of the drawers in the dresser, he went to sleep easily, trusting himself to wake if anything went wrong. He always did.

It didn't seem like he was asleep for very long. His eyes snapped back open and the room was still dark. He glanced at the clock. Barely twenty minutes. Jack was flailing in the next room. He growled, snatching the shiv from beneath his pillow and barreling through the bathroom. He flung open her door and stopped in the doorway. She was sitting up in bed, and whimpered as he took a step closer. He stopped, reached behind him to put the shiv back on the bathroom counter.

"It's dark," she whimpered. Riddick reached over to the dial on the wall, turning the lights on dimly. She seemed to see him for the first time, and jumped. She put a hand over her eyes and scowled. "Just a dream," she said, more to herself than him, and shook her head. "Sorry, Riddick. Just had a bad dream." She forced a smile at him, and he just stared at her. She could see light from somewhere reflecting in his eyes, even in the relative darkness.

He approached the bed slowly and sat on the edge of it. She laid back and rolled onto her back beside him, and the motion surprised him. She had put her back to one of the most wanted killers in the universe – done it willingly and without being asked. He smiled for once, and smoothed one warm hand over her back, feeling the tension in her muscles. He brought his legs up and rubbed his hand up and down her spine, his fingertips tingling every time he touched her sweet spot, fourth lumbar down. He felt the tension drain from her.

Jack kicked her legs for a moment and made a sound of frustration. She brought the blankets up and put a hand under them, the other keeping it up. She wriggled around and it took him a moment to realize that she was taking off her pants. His eyes widened as she tossed them into a corner of the room. His hand stopped on her lower back. She looked at him sidelong, and he just shook his head, kept rubbing her back until she fell back to sleep.

She didn't wake up again that night, thankfully. Riddick was able to sleep in his own bed, though he kept both of the sliding bathroom doors open. The next morning, he dressed in clothes that weren't his own and felt strange in them. At least Devon knew his general style – sleeveless shirts, pants with plenty of pockets, black socks. He stood in the bathroom and shaved with an actual razor for the first time in a long time, fully dressed. Jack came to stand in the doorway between the bathroom and her bedroom.

"Going somewhere?" she asked, doing her best to keep the hurt from her voice. She didn't want to be left behind.

Riddick nodded. "Shopping," he said sarcastically. "We need clothes, and some food. Hurry up and get ready."

She gave him an excited look before she slid the door closed and got dressed. She opened the door again and scowled at him, thrusting a piece of clothing at him. "I'm not wearing this," she complained.

Frowning, he took the material from her and looked at it. He chuckled. It was a dress, a very pretty one in a color that would completely set off her eyes. "Is it the only thing in there?" She nodded, and he laughed again. "Just wear your clothes from yesterday," he told her, and threw the dress back at her. "Don't tear that up either, never know when you might need it." She snorted and rolled her eyes and went to find the pants she had carelessly thrown the day before.

* * *

They had breakfast in the food court before they went shopping. Riddick found it odd that they still hadn't seen the Imam. He thought he would've come to lecture some more by now. Jack seemed more smitten with the shopping area than she had originally been at the food court. There were maybe a hundred shops with anything that they would ever need. Riddick stopped Jack near the entrance and handed her a card. "There's more on there than you'll need. Don't spend it all, but get whatever you need," he told her. She nodded eagerly. "Meet me back here in three hours." Again, she nodded, glad to have some freedom where she felt relatively safe, and wandered off into one of the nearest stores.

It felt odd to have her out of his sight. He hadn't been more than a wall away from her since he had left her inside the cave with the Imam on T2. He frowned. It made something deep in him growl and squirm... but the girl had to have some freedom, some privacy. She was a preteen. If he followed her all of the time, she'd hate him. Besides that, he didn't want to go clothes shopping with a girl. He didn't want to answer all of the questions that came with it, either.

Even further, he had shopping of his own to do, and some of it had nothing to do with clothes. He did get himself a full bag of clothes – mostly the same thing. Black, sleeveless tops, tank tops, black cargo pants, black socks. He did get himself something that he thought Jack might like on him, if he ever felt like impressing her. A girl behind one of the shop counters tried flirting with him. It was so foreign to him that it took him a minute or two to realize what she was doing, and then he just grinned wolfishly and flirted back playfully. He almost felt normal. Almost.

He got himself some other necessities, and, on a whim, decided to sift through some colognes. He found one he liked and bought it, though he couldn't really say if he'd ever use it. He didn't even know how long they'd be on this ship. Maybe awhile, if Jack liked it, if it was safe. If he could trust Devon.

At the end of the aisle of shops, mostly tucked into a corner, he found a weapons shop. All of them were behind thick glass and you had to have a permit to buy one, but he did buy some wrist guards and other leather pieces that he'd meant to get for a long time now. They would take some breaking in, and he asked the owner where he could find a gym or something like that. He broke into a grin and gave Riddick detailed directions to the workout center, which was actually located on the top of the ship.

Jack met him back two minutes before three hours were up, and he was impressed. He had thought for sure she would've been late. They walked back to their rooms and she showed him all of her spoils. Jeans made of real denim, some t-shirts with sarcastic sayings that suited her. A bra spilled out and she blushed scarlet and snatched it, throwing it back in the bag, making him snicker. She almost landed a kick on his knee, but he caught her by the ankle and spun her over so she fell into the couch, into the curve of his arm. Riddick pulled her up against his side and whispered in her ear, "Gonna have to get faster than that, Jack." He let go of her and she sat there, shocked still that she actually didn't have a bruise on her, after spinning through the air. He picked up one of her shirts and raised a brow. "Bit girly, ain't it?" he teased.

She scowled and snatched it out of his hands, stuffing it into the bag with the other bras. He noted that she had bought a journal too, and wondered how long it would take him to crack into it. He decided not to try and find out. Privacy.

After she put away her clothes and the small bit of belongings, she took a shower and changed her clothes. He picked up the remote control for the viewscreen, and eyed it warily. He hadn't had a recreational viewscreen since he was a child. He tilted my head at it and shrugged, turning on the news. He laughed to see that they had found the remains of the H.G. They showed pictures of the wreckage and some carnage, but definitely not even close to all of it. The report concluded with flashing names of all of the people who were now presumed dead – including himself and Jack. He would have to talk to the Imam and make sure that, if he left, he didn't tell anyone that they were alive. If the bounty hunters thought he was dead, it would definitely be easier on the both of them.

Jack came back out and sat beside him. He rolled back the program to where he had jumped in, and she stared wide-eyed at it. She seemed to get paler, and Riddick said softly, "This is a good thing, Jack. If mercs think I'm dead, I'll never have to run again." He brought his hand to the back of her neck, playing with the little hairs there, ran a hand up and over her peach fuzz hair. She just nodded slowly.

* * *

Devon had pitched the idea of sending Jack to the on-board school that they had, which had live teachers rather than computers like most schools had now. At first, Riddick had protested, but then realized how integral his own education had been to his survival. He didn't seem like the type, but he loved learning. The more you knew, the easier it was to outsmart people, the easier it was to hide. He didn't carve a path through people unless he had to, he didn't do it for fun. He wasn't going to lie, he enjoyed it sometimes, but didn't consider it a past time. That was something he had a hard time convincing Jack of, but he did it out of necessity. He'd have to tell her the full story for her to understand, and that just wasn't something he was willing to do. Not yet.

She took a shine to school though. There were maybe thirty kids in her whole class, only five the same age. Most of the kids were young, which made sense. The remaining Furyans aboard the ship were breeding – with good reason. Riddick just hoped they had good genealogists on-board to keep the cousins from breeding. Didn't need the Furyan race going to shit because of a few idiots mixing blood that shouldn't be mixed.

They slowly developed a routine. Jack got up earlier than he did, made breakfast, ate it together. She went off to school and he'd do some work for the smith in the back of the shopping center, moving shit and sometimes making shit, when the man had some extra metal he was willing to let Riddick practice with. The old man liked him and taught him how to make proper knives. He got good at it, and the old man shipped them out to be bought on markets on other planets. No one left the Fury aside from an off-board crew that went and traded their goods for more supplies and goods they couldn't make on-board. It was a good system, being that it kept the Fury in the air constantly. They never landed, never came within a week's distance of any heavily populated planet.

Jack had quickly moved to the top of her class on the Fury as well, and was appointed higher tutor after higher tutor until she was studying with folks five and six years older than her. Riddick was proud that she was so damn smart, and he encouraged it. Paid for library dues for her to rent reader files, and she ate it up. She made friends too, girls and boys, different ages, all Furyan.

After school, Jack would come home, do her homework, and then meet Riddick in the gym in the early evening. He started her off easy, just basic moves, stretches, strengthening exercises. When she got good at those, before she started to get bored, he started sparring with her. She could never beat him, but she was getting good, and soon he was confident that she could properly defend herself from an unarmed man. Then they started in with weapons, and her eyes lit up as he taught her about each weapon before he taught her how to use it. He made her respect blades by giving her nicks, cuts, and scars. She knew the pain they made and thus knew better than to play around with them.

Once they got in a good two or three hours of training, they would have dinner in the cafeteria, sometimes with the Imam. He had met a woman on the ship and was getting entangled with her. Riddick sometimes grinned at him as they passed one another in the corridors. He seemed to want nothing more to do with Riddick or Jack, and Riddick just said good riddance. He didn't need the holy man, neither did Jack. Never did, never would. After dinner, they would go home, take turns in the shower and then go to bed.

At least once a week, Jack would have nightmares. They usually brought Riddick into her room, but one night, she didn't wake up screaming and couldn't find her voice. She went into his room and found his bed. He had been awake the second her feet hit the ground in her room, and he welcomed her in without question. He had a bad habit of falling asleep against the headboard when he went to stroke her back and hair until she fell asleep. Sleeping in the same bed was nothing new.

Tonight was different though. Jack was going through that oh-so-painful time of the month, and she was in Riddick's bed mainly because she was in pain and didn't want to move. Hadn't wanted to all day, actually, and only because it was a day off from school did he let her stay in bed. He brought her breakfast, lunch, and dinner, made her eat and move around a little bit, helped her once to the bathroom. He didn't remember it being this bad before. She told him it changed as she got older.

At first, he'd stood in the doorway, uncertain, almost wanting to sleep on the couch. Jack was almost fifteen now, and looked more and more like a woman with each passing day. Goddamn, did she smell like a woman. She whimpered and it struck something deep in him, making his eyes flash. He suddenly wanted the pain to go away. In a few short steps, he crossed the room and sat beside her on what had become his side of the bed. He rolled her from her side to her stomach and she whined, but quieted when his hands rested on her back.

This was nothing new, he reminded himself. He rubbed her back until she fell asleep several times a month, this was nothing new. He focused on her lower back, feeling the two indentations just above her ass that were so tempting, so intoxicating. He knew for a fact that his thumbs fit perfectly into those indents from behind, thanks to sparring. Sometimes he wondered if that was a good idea to begin with. Jack needed to sleep though. They would be better tomorrow, they were always bad on the first day.

He paused as he wondered why he knew that, and it was then that it hit him that it had been a year. Jack had been with him for a _year_. She made a noise that brought his attention back to the present, and she seemed to enjoy the warmth and pressure of his hands just resting against the back of her kidneys. He eyed how close he was to her sweet spot, the one that he actually hadn't used in a year. He hadn't killed anyone while aboard the Fury. Gave Devon a bloody nose once for suggesting something he shouldn't have, but other than that, nothing. He frowned.

If anyone had told him a year ago that he would be massaging a fifteen-year-old girl's back during her period, playing daddy to her, training her, paying for her to live comfortably, and doing it all completely legally... he would have laughed in their faces and probably ripped them neck to nuts. Still, he was happy. He enjoyed being around Jack, liked making her happy. He felt as though making this one girl happy might actually redeem him for all of his past discretions. Maybe it would. Maybe he should talk to the Imam.

He put the idea out of his head as soon as it had come. The Imam would do nothing but lecture. He always made subtle comments about their relationship when he was around. Riddick scowled, his hands kneading against her lower back until he couldn't find any more tension. Still, Jack squirmed and whined. He sighed and cast a glance upward as if to ask if the higher powers were serious.

Placing one hand under her shoulder and the other under her hip, he turned her over, sitting her up and positioning himself behind her. She lay back comfortably between his legs, letting one of her hands rest on his knee. He eyed that one hand and then placed his hands low over her belly. She froze, and stared at his hands for a moment before she seemed to accept that he was doing nothing but allowing the warmth of his hands to seep into her abdomen. She had no complaints about a makeshift heating pad.

After taking a deep breath, she relaxed against him, warm and safe in his lap. Safe. That was what he was to her – safety, warmth. She smiled lightly as she drifted off to sleep.


	4. Save Tonight

:D OMG. Reviews! Saismaat and texanlady, I freakin' love you guys. :) Other folks that don't review, they're the reason I have four chapters up in three days - be thankful!

Answer to Question BOTH of you caught: The reason I keep referring to Jack as a preteen, specifically when Riddick is thinking about her, is because he still would much rather think of her as a child than to come to terms with the fact that she's getting older and maybe his feelings do have some sort of basis.

And dude. Working an 8-5 shift on a boring, slow Thursday in a grocery store _sucks_. I'm working 10-7 tomorrow and another 8-5 on Saturday. D: Plus, my dumb ass volunteered to be on-call on Sunday too.

Actual plot will be coming around in the next chapter, up on... Saturday. If I remember. :P

* * *

When Jack woke up the next morning, she first became aware of a pair of large, warm hands resting against her abdomen. She next became aware of her own arousal as she found that those hands had crept lower in their sleep, most likely not even of his own volition. She swallowed thickly as the muscles in one hand twitched, shifting the curls of hair. Not knowing how, she was suddenly aware that Riddick was awake. She felt the muscles in his arms tense against her ribs, and he removed his hands from where they were. His arms paused in the air for a moment before he folded his arms around her shoulders and hugged her from behind.

She knew he could smell her arousal just as easily as he could smell her menstrual blood from ten feet away, and it made her blush, embarrassed. He ignored it, and instead rumbled into her ear, "Did you know that we've been together for a year now?" She loved his voice in the morning - deep, lazy, primal. "Just noticed that last night, as you were falling asleep. Few days past a year... Almost makes it our anniversary." He smiled against her hair, gave her a gentle squeeze.

It could've been the fact that she could quite distinctly feel how he felt this morning by what was pressing against her back, or it could've been his referring to them as actually being together, romantically, but Jack suddenly felt uncomfortable. Her back and thighs tensed, and he felt it. Automatically, he dropped his arms, allowed her to get to her feet. As soon as she wasn't touching him, she felt better. Colder, but more in-control. She beamed at him. "That is something," she agreed. "I'll have to make something special for breakfast..." She put one hand on the bed next to his thigh and tapped her chin in mock-thought. Her face brightened and she suggested, "Banana pancakes?"

He couldn't help but feel disappointed that she had pulled away so quickly, but her recovery of the situation was amazing. He smiled lazily and scratched his bare stomach. "My favorite," he said brightly. As if his scratching had made her realize that he had been shirtless the entire time, she blushed from the collarbone up to her cheekbones and left the room. It took everything in him not to laugh.

So early in the morning, still so close to sleep, he had almost enjoyed where his hands had been when he woke up. He mused about that thoughtfully, and blamed it on the fact that, despite vigorous and constant training (or maybe because of it), Jack was gaining curves. A _woman's _curves. He frowned. She wasn't a kid anymore... she was becoming an adult. He sighed, unsure of how to deal with this new idea.

Before he could pursue it further, he smelled her cutting up bananas... absently wondered when they got bananas, but didn't really care. She was making him breakfast, he would be coherent and awake enough to enjoy it. He washed his face and shaved, dressed himself, and sat at the table as she set out the plates. He smiled up at her and she handed him a cup of fruit juice. "Got your homework done last night?" he asked, and she nodded her head. She was still a little red. He smirked.

With a few more jokes and usual morning banter, Jack was back to being Jack. He saw her off to class and went to work himself. As he stepped into the shop, he laughed and shook his head. "Hey, Reggie, you're not gonna believe what I'm getting myself into now," he called towards the back room. The old man, the closest thing Riddick had to a friend on the Fury, leaned over the door frame, his face covered in a welding mask, and coughed at him. Riddick just laughed.

A woman came into the shop that day, and Riddick found her attractive. Not intoxicating like Jack, but attractive. When she picked up a crossbow and shouldered it like a pro, his curiosity was piqued. They talked about aerodynamics for an hour before Reggie stepped in and kicked her out because she wasn't going to buy anything. Riddick forgot about her before the week was out.

* * *

More months passed. Riddick bought a heating pad for Jack so they wouldn't have to do that again, even though she still spent nights in his bed. He learned to ignore the urge to cozy up to the other warm body in his bed, but oh, did he ever want to. If he never got anything else in his life, just once he'd like to pull Jack against his chest and lay there for as long as he liked. He usually pushed thoughts like that away, but one night after she was asleep and he couldn't do the same, sitting before the viewscreen, he indulged himself. He tilted his head back, thought about her... Those _woman's_ curves.

Groaning, he reminded himself that she had only just turned fifteen three months ago. He scowled and looked sharply at the viewscreen. He was in desperate need of a distraction. He glanced at the door, but decided against leaving Jack alone. Instead, he went to bed and spent a restless night tossing and turning, trying to find her scent on his pillow and suffocating in it.

* * *

More months passed. Jack got a job at the food court and training was reserved for three days a week, dinner was later. One evening during a spar, Jack actually drew first blood. Riddick had frozen in surprise at first. He'd never thought she would get that good, never thought she would get that close. He thought about it, and she had been training with him for nearly two years now. Maybe she was just getting good. She definitely wasn't just learning from him anymore either. He had encouraged her to find more people to teach her, and was now using that against him. She stared at the blood on his cheekbone, absently wondering if the blood would anger him. She panted, unsure, and it showed in her eyes.

He touched his cheekbone, just to make sure that there was actually blood there, and he stared at his fingers. When was the last time someone had drawn his blood? Then he laughed, and yanked her into a hug. "You got first blood!" he said excitedly before releasing her. Jack grinned and crowed in triumph, lifting the shiv that he had made for her fifteenth birthday. "Come on, we gotta celebrate... Special dinner tonight," he told her, and nodded his head sharply.

He took her back to their rooms and they split into their separate bedrooms. "See if that dress still fits you, Jack!" he called through the bathroom.

"Hell no!" she protested. He had gotten her to wear it once, on her birthday dinner when he'd taken her to a more expensive restaurant on-board.

Riddick stuck his head out of the bathroom where he had been showering, and just gave her a Look. She scowled, but sighed and relented. What he said, went. Unfortunately, it did fit, maybe even better than it had fit her at fourteen. She had more curves to fill it out, as Devon had severely overestimated her size. Just goes to show that you can't trust a man to shop for a woman. She stepped into the bathroom, where Riddick was shaving and applying some cologne that she wasn't aware he even had. She pursed her lips at her reflection, turning one way and the other and scowling.

He laughed. "You look good, Jack," he promised her. She gave him an odd look before she went back into her room to find where she had put the earrings a friend of hers had bought her for her birthday. Every girl needs some jewelry, the other girl had said. She came back into the bathroom and leaned into the mirror to get them into the tiny holes in her ears. Riddick gave her a surprised look. She had worn those just once for a party. Still, he smiled.

Jack looked at him and made an exasperated sound. He blinked at her, and she used insistent hands to sit him on the cover of the toilet. He scowled as he realized she was playing nurse again. She did it all the time when she beat him up in sparring matches, because she didn't pull her punches, and she wasn't going easy on him. He didn't leave bruises. He rolled his eyes but let her do what she wanted, just because it made her put a hand on the side of his face to keep him in place, position his jaw just right so she could clearly see the nick on his cheekbone. He stared at her face that was set with such concentration that she didn't even notice him staring, and it was beautiful.

The dinner table conversation was mainly about her fighting style and skill, and how he would have to step it up a bit. They fell silent for a few minutes, eating. And then Jack posed a question to him, "What do you want in life?" It sounded so simple that Riddick was sure that it should've been a simple answer, but the truth was, he didn't have an answer. He sat back in his chair, determined to figure something out. He didn't want to wander aimlessly through life.

Finally, after thoughtfully tasting the wine they had brought him, he replied, "Freedom."

Jack blinked at him. "That sounds easy," she said, and frowned.

He shook his head. "Not for me," he told her flatly.

She was quiet for another minute or two before she asked him, "What else?" At first, he wanted to give her some smart-ass retort, just for asking questions. And then she tilted her head in the way that drove him nuts - curious, innocent, and beautiful all in one, as if she didn't have a clue what she was doing to him, of all the buttons she was pushing - both in his head and places he tried his best not to think about anymore.

"I want you to be happy," he said finally. He wasn't lying. He'd do pretty much anything to make her happy - short of putting on a tutu and performing in front of the entire Fury population. He had his limits... Still, he had veritably spoiled her in the last few years, mainly in efforts to off-set what he knew was a rocky childhood and a very shitty first impression of him. He was still amazed when she crawled into his bed and put her back to him, even after she had done it for over two years now, every so often.

Blushing, she looked down at her plate. He hadn't taught her to be bashful, she had come to him that way. Besides, having some humility went a long way. He grinned at her and shook his head. "You do make me happy, Riddick," she said quietly. They were quiet for another few minutes until Riddick made a hushed joke about the waiter's flippant tone of voice. Jack burst into laughter and they continued to talk normally for the rest of the night.

* * *

She didn't have a nightmare that night. For that, he was thankful. He sank into bed and wondered what life would be like if he hadn't gotten caught by Johns. Frowning, he rubbed his jaw and mumbled, "Maybe I do owe the bastard something." He glanced over his shoulder at her door, seeing it open. The lights were dim, but he knew she was asleep. She couldn't sleep in the dark, even with him just a room away. He wondered if she would ever get over her fear of the dark. He didn't know if he wanted her to. She would always need him this way.

* * *

One night after Jack's sixteenth birthday, she had made dinner rather than going to the food court to get it. She was bribing him, even brought him some whiskey with his dinner. His eyes narrowed at her across the table. Those woman's curves were even more intoxicating now that her hair added just more curves. She had grown it out. It was nearly past her shoulder blades now, a wave of chocolate that was soft enough that it made him want to disappear into a sea of it and never resurface. Death by hair. He didn't think he'd mind that.

She sat at the table and he picked up his fork, waiting until she took her first bite before he dug in. They had kept up the manners thing. A few bites in, she took a drink of juice before she broached the subject. "Riddick?" she began tentatively. He looked up at her to say that he was listening, and she swallowed thickly before continuing, "Um... Would it be okay if I... um... went on dates? Like, with guys?" She could hardly hold his gaze.

Riddick didn't know why he was so suddenly angry. No, he did. He was jealous. Of teenage boys. He kept his emotions from his face easily, but his grip tightened on his fork. "What for, Jack? You gonna get married?" he teased her, maybe he could get her out of it that way.

Scowling at him, Jack shook her head. "Hell no. I just... Sometimes I want some attention, y'know?" she said, and shrugged her shoulders.

How the hell could he deny that? He wanted the same goddamn thing. He stabbed a piece of meat and said, "Sure. I wanna meet the guys first, though." She nodded eagerly, that sounding like a good enough deal to her. She had expected him to flat-out say no and thus was willing to take whatever she could get.

* * *

Asking to meet the kids was probably the best and worst thing he had ever done to himself. While it gave him a reason to polish the knives he'd made in the living room and lay them all out on the table, gave him a reason to wear his goggles again, made him feel like he was one scary motherfucker again, it also paraded in front of him all of the things that Jack could have. The happiness that she could get to with any one of the idiots that she brought to the suite was obvious. She loved them all individually, but none of them ever seemed right to her. Every time she let another one go, she cried, and he held her, stroked her hair. Wished she wouldn't cry for idiots that she had chosen in the first place.

Never said it though. He just intimidated the little assholes, made sure they wouldn't touch her in ways she didn't want. Riddick knew that she could take care of herself - he had taught her, after all. Still, he wanted the fuckers to know that she was his, and if she got fucked with, they would be dead. They seemed to get the picture.

And then there was Ran. A little dark-skinned scrap that actually reminded Riddick a lot of himself, Ran was only part Furyan. He had dark hair and light-shining gray eyes, and judging from the way that Jack focused more attention on him than Riddick during their first meeting, Riddick knew that he was done for. She would be happy with this little asshole, and there was not a goddamn thing he could do about it, because she was still only seventeen.

All he could do was brood and wait for the day when Ran came to take her away from him.

* * *

Yay drama and sexual tension! :D Just so you guys know, I LOVE soap operas. I have a severe flair for the dramatic. Could you tell?


	5. Beat on the Brat

The new writing software is yet to be tamed - I rewrote this chapter twice because it deleted the first draft... I'm on my lunch from work right now. :) Lots going on in this chapter - enjoy!

* * *

Reggie left Riddick the shop when he died. It was the only thing that helped with his frustration anymore. Turns out, beating the shit out of pieces of metal from dead planets was healthier than killing people. Definitely didn't beat it. There were times when his hands ached to tear through someone's flesh, to feel them covered in blood, but then there were people that made him appreciate life. He had an apprentice now, Dante's second son, Darian. The kid was just nine, but he learned quick and had an eye for welding. He enjoyed teaching the kid as much as he had ever loved teaching Jack about fighting, and absently wondered if he could get a job teaching kids to fight. Maybe make some sort of defense force for the Fury. Devon said they didn't really need one, but of course, by the time he did, it'd be too late.

Still, sometimes Riddick's hands ached with the need to rip into someone's flesh, to draw forth blood and other things. He never killed without a reason, but he had done it so often that it had become fun for him... Well, fun wasn't quite the word. It was more of a stress reliever. He had had a ridiculous amount of stress lately, thanks to Jack, but he couldn't quite tell her that. Hey Jack, I'm in love with you, can you drop your wimpy boyfriend and fuck me so the knot at the back of my neck will go away finally? Yeah, that'd go over real well.

The bell on the front door rang. Darian said his name toward the back room and Riddick called out, "Be out in a sec." He made sure the torch was off completely before putting it up, out of Darian's reach. The kid had an eye for welding and his father's eye for mischief. Riddick came out from the back room, ducking underneath the door as he pushed the welding helmet up over his head. The lights were dim in the shop, mainly because of him. Darian had the same eyes, all the Furyans did. Ran stood in front of the counter, looking nervous. Riddick's eyes narrowed. Jack was almost nineteen. Ran had managed to stick around for that long, and with each passing day, Riddick was more and more sure that Ran was going as nowhere as Riddick was when it came to Jack. He'd fought it every step of the way. He remembered the first day that he had figured out that they were fooling around. He'd been angry at her for days, but couldn't bring himself to start a conversation for it. Once he got over being angry and jealous about it, Riddick found it funny that they tried so hard to keep it from him. As if he wouldn't know the stench of sex.

The stupid kid fidgeted and Riddick smirked. He nudged Darian away from his post at the cash stand. "Go get us some lunch," he told him, handing him a card. Darian nodded excitedly and ran off toward the food court. Riddick removed the helmet completely and placed it on the counter behind the main displays. He moved to the corner behind the displays and rinsed his hands in a small basin of water. "What do you wanna ask me, Ran?" he asked, though he was fairly certain he already knew. He'd been waiting for Ran to come and ask him about marrying Jack. Riddick still wasn't sure what he would say. What could he say?

He heard the kid swallow and Riddick frowned, turning to look at him over his shoulder. "Um... Well... Jackie and I... Um." He looked up at Riddick's glowing eyes and shut his mouth with an audible click. He seemed to pull himself together; stiffening his spine, standing taller, squaring his shoulders. "I made a mistake, sir," he said finally. Any other time, Riddick might've laughed about being called sir. His eyes narrowed as he waited for him to elaborate. "We... We did things reserved for a marriage bed, and... I..."

Riddick had him by the throat so fast that he surprised even himself. He didn't know he still had that in him. "Did you get her pregnant you little shit-worm?" he demanded, louder than he intended. He knew they had been having sex, but if Ran was coming to him talking about it, alone, there was something wrong.

"No!" Ran croaked. Riddick dropped him, pressed his palms against the counter and looked Ran in the eyes, close. Choking for air, Ran stared at Riddick. He had been afraid of the man before, but now his usual threats against Ran's physical person were serious. He could actually back them up. "I... um... well, I don't know if I did, but-"

He could've killed the kid. He had him by the throat again now, putting more pressure on his jawbone than his larynx, and hauled him up onto the counter. He hung off of it from his shoulders up, and jumped as Riddick had a shiv against his throat. "Spit it out or I swear I will cut your throat and wait for Jack to explain. Maybe she'll get here before you bleed to death." Riddick hated that stupid kid more than anything else in that moment, mainly for taking Jack's best treasure. That should've been his. He released a bit of the pressure from the shiv so that Ran could speak without cutting himself, though he would've much rather press it harder against his throat. It had been a very long time since he had blood on his hands, he kind of missed the feeling.

Ran's words jumbled together, but Riddick understood him. He had fucked Jack, without protection, though that part was an accident. He thought Jack was on the pill, a lot of Furyan girls were. Would've been smarter to ask, but Riddick didn't need to point that out. He wanted to marry her, just in case. Riddick growled dangerously as he spoke.

After throwing him off of the counter and letting him bounce on the hard floor, Riddick ran his hand back over his head. "You're a fucking ass wipe, you know that, don't you, Ran?" he demanded. Ran nodded his head eagerly, and Riddick made his decision. "If she'll actually take you, fine. I just want you to keep one thing in mind - I don't like you. I never have, and I never will. No amount of pouting, flattering, bribing, or anything else is going to ever make me change my mind. And I swear to God, if you ever cheat on her, I will personally cut your dick off and feed it to you. Capeiche?" Again, Ran nodded his head so hard Riddick thought he might've hurt himself. "Now, get the fuck out of my shop." He pointed toward the door with the shiv, and Ran scrambled for the door. "Oh, and Ran?" he called airily. Ran froze near the door as a shiv whizzed just in front of his nose. "I didn't have to miss." Ran squeaked, making Riddick laugh, and he quickly left the shop.

Darian came in with the food shortly after, and didn't question why the displays in front of the counter were disturbed, or why there was a shiv embedded in the wall beside the door. He just straightened the displays, returned the shiv to Riddick, and ate his lunch. Riddick knew there was a reason he liked the boy. He knew when to keep his mouth shut.

* * *

Knowing that Ran was going to pop the question any day made Riddick step up his game. He walked around the apartment without a shirt more often, made dinner for Jack one night, and acted pretty damn sweet. He cozied up to her when she had a nightmare one night, moreso than usual. She didn't even seem to notice.

As they walked back to the apartment after training, Jack beamed at him. "Ran's taking me out tonight... if that's okay?" she asked. Riddick glanced at her. For a moment, he didn't respond, and then he just nodded. He had a bad feeling about today. Jack frowned. "What's wrong, Riddick? You look depressed."

He laughed. "I don't get depressed, I get pissed off at the fucker that's making me sad," he replied, not entirely realizing what he'd just said.

Jack paused, and tilted her head. "What's making you sad then?" she asked slowly.

Seemingly figuring out his mistake, Riddick grunted noncommitably. Jack nudged him encouragingly. "I don't do feelings, Jack," he told her flatly. "I've got two speeds - angry and not." She grabbed his arm and stopped in the middle of the hallway. He looked back at her, trying and failing to get mad. He scowled at her, but she just resolutely stared at him. He wrenched his arm out of her grip and told her, "You won't be mine anymore. Alright? That's what's pissing me off." He turned to storm down the hallway with all intents of throwing a temper tantrum, maybe going back to the gym and tearing apart another punching bag... Maybe if he painted Ran's face on it first, it'd make him feel better.

"What?" she said incredulously, and then realized that he was walking a lot faster than she was. She had to run to catch up. "What the hell are you talking about, Riddick?" She shoved his shoulder to get his attention when he ignored her.

Riddick at first didn't want to ruin the engagement moment for Jack. Fuck that, something in his head growled, and he told her, "Ran's going to propose to you. You're gonna move out, go with that stupid scrawny fuck, and I'll be alone." He stared her down instead of running away this time. Jack's face took on an epiphanical look, and she nodded her head in understanding. This time, she let Riddick storm off.

* * *

Jack came back to the apartment late that night. Riddick pretended to already be asleep, just to avoid her. He left early the next morning too. Jack came into his shop before work that day. Darian told Riddick that she was there when he didn't really have to. Riddick could tell. She went into the back room, even though Darian protested, and went up behind him. She ignored the loud sounds of metal on metal, where he was working furiously on what appeared to be a knife. "You were right, Riddick. He proposed." She watched the muscles in his back bunch and coil as he paused. She reached out, almost touched him, but then dropped her hand. "I said no."

He dropped the hammer, narrowly missing his foot, as he turned around to stare at her. "What?" he asked, for once surprised.

"I said no," she repeated easily. "I don't want to marry him. Yeah, he's nice and all, and I'm sure he loves me, but... I just don't want him. Not really." She fidgeted with the ends of her shirt like she always did when she was nervous, and dropped her gaze to the floor.

Riddick began to lean against the anvil behind him, until he remembered that there was some burning hot metal on it. "What do you want?" he asked quietly. Jack just shrugged. She left before either of them said anything else.

* * *

Everything seemed to return to normal. He went to work in the morning, and Jack stayed home, usually working closer to the afternoon. He kissed her forehead and promised he'd come by for lunch, or at the very least send Darian. Sometimes, she would still get hormonal, random spats of anger with Riddick, mainly because she still hadn't found another boy to date after Ran - even in six months. He was just glad that the little shit was gone. He didn't have to fight for her to be his anymore. Sometimes, he would find her coming to him in the middle of the night, pretending she had a nightmare when he knew that she just couldn't sleep. He loved the idea that she couldn't sleep without him, and never complained.

One night, she even curled up against his bare chest. It was the closest thing to heaven that Riddick had experienced thus far in his life, as far as he was concerned. One nondescript night, they sat on the couch together, watching Jack's favorite sitcom. It was some stupid show about teenagers running around with fake IDs and hunting criminals, all tied together with stupid costumes and nicknames. He only watched it to mock their fighting, and he had a feeling that Jack enjoyed his sarcastic running commentary. He glanced down at her as she laughed, and put his arm over the back of the couch behind her. She leaned into his side without looking at him, focusing on the viewscreen. He didn't care. She was closer. He subtly put his nose to her hair and inhaled deeply, and he was convinced that it was unhealthy to be so excited over the scent of someone's hair.

The show ended and he flipped to a news channel, just to check on things around the universe. It showed the destruction of another planet destroyed by the Necromongers, and Riddick hurriedly changed the channel again before Jack got too depressed. Cartoons. He marveled at how little they had changed since the twenty-first century - still animated, still aimed at children, and still ridiculously stupid. Still, they made Jack laugh, and he could appreciate that.

After another hour of cartoons, Jack yawned. Riddick got an idea. He stood up and stretched, heading for the bathroom. He changed and brushed his teeth, and came back to the doorway. "I'm going to bed," he told Jack, scratching his belly and making her blush again. He seemed to enjoy embarrassing her every now and then, and she knew it. Didn't bother fighting it anymore. He glanced back at the bed, and then at her. His eyes flashed in the dim light from the kitchen, and he asked, "You coming?" She froze like a deer in the headlights before slowly nodding. He smiled at her and turned towards the bed.

Jack took her time in changing and brushing her teeth before she climbed into the bed. She was used to it being the middle of the night when he was half-asleep and only rubbed her back. She sat on the edge of the bed, glancing at his face, unsure. Riddick moved forward, hooking an arm around her waist, and pulled her over to him, forcing her to lay down on the way. He tucked his arm against her ribs and buried his nose in her hair. With Jack curled close to his chest, he felt like the luckiest fucker in the universe. She seemed stiff, so he rumbled in her ear, using his morning rumble, "Relax, Jack. Go to sleep." He nosed along her shoulder before he put his head back down on the pillow.

It took her a few minutes, but she eventually calmed down. He moved the arm from her ribs and trailed his knuckles up and down her upper arm, from her shoulder to her elbow. Soon, she was asleep, and Riddick, for once, felt like everything was right in the world.

* * *

More weeks passed. Jack slept in Riddick's bed now, and neither had the guts to make a move. And then, one day, everything went to hell in a hand basket. Riddick was bent over a new knife, had been at work for maybe an hour, hour and a half. Sirens began to wail and he stood straight, the back of his neck tingling. "Jack," he said as the lights went out. Red emergency lights on another circuit lit up along most walkways, and he immediately knew that the elevators would be out. The stairs were out of the way from their apartment, but they would have to do.

Riddick dodged through people, not caring to find out what was wrong until he knew Jack was safe. The stairs were stuffed with panicked people, and Riddick climbed the railings instead of the stairs to get to their level. He burst through the door in the hallway and stopped dead to see a burnt hole where the front door of their apartment was supposed to be. "Jack!" he shouted, bolting forward again and hoping that she had left early for work. She wasn't in the apartment. With the loud scent of panic everywhere, he would never find her on the ship. If she was still on the ship.

He headed back to the stairs and to the hangar. He skidded through the door in time to see a ship roll into one of the take-off tunnels. He ran as fast as he could towards the closing tunnel, but the thick steel slammed shut before he could get to it. He slammed into it, and hit it repeatedly with his fists, but only served to break a bone in his hand and bloody his knuckles. The steel didn't even dent.

He heard Devon yelling from the control room behind him not to open the take-off tunnel's other end, but it was already open and wasn't responding to orders to close it. It didn't matter.

Jack was already gone.


	6. Dashboard

This chapter moves pretty quickly, and there's very little Riddick in it. I'll make up for that later, I promise. We get a peek into Devon Galbraith's personal life though, which is always fun, and the ending of the last chapter is explained first thing, as I promised. I know it's not that original for Jack to get kidnapped, but just wait. It gets better.

* * *

Devon had been interrupted in the middle of courting his favorite woman abord the Fury. Shannon was ridiculously resistant, but had recently been breaking to his charms. The fact that he felt an explosion and began hearing sirens just as she was going to kiss him pissed him off probably more than it should've. The safety of his ship should come first, but damned if he didn't wish it had happened just five minutes later. When the electricity went out, he told Shannon to stay put and sprinted to the bridge.

"What the fuck happened?" he demanded of his crew.

His usual right-hand man, a dark-skinned half-Furyan called Lucas growled back, "We have no goddamn idea. A new food shipment came in this morning, some asshole mercs stowed away on it."

Anger blossoming into rage, Devon seethed, "How didn't we know?" They had panic buttons on all of the ships, and their men on the food runs knew how and when to use them. Besides that, they should know better than to bring the stowaways back to the Fury. Lucas just shrugged. They really didn't know. Brute force? Threats? Guns? With a sigh, Devon resigned himself to figure that out later. "What did they blow up?" he asked, praying it wasn't the mall or the cafeteria. Neither could be easily rebuilt.

A man to his left answered after pressing a few buttons, "Apartment 126, sir. The electricity was manually cut."

His eyes widened. "Shit, that's Rich's place!" he barked. He glanced over his shoulder, praying that Riddick wasn't right behind him waiting to beat him to death. "Fuck," he growled. He thought quickly.

"Sir, we don't have control of the hangar," a man to his right informed him. Devon turned to stare at him as he continued, "Launch tunnel six is opening."

Devon shouted, "Shut down the pressurizer, disable the outer gate!"

The man tried pushing buttons, inputting codes and passwords, typing in demands before replying in a distressed tone, "We can't! The hangar's completely out of our control!"

"Shut it down!" he roared. "Cut its power!" Devon threw ideas at them, but none of them worked. He watched as some stowaway bastards made off with a ship. He slowly put his head in his hand, growling. "I want a full damage report within the hour. I want to know who they are and how the fuck they got away with this. I want a full inventory of the food we unloaded, I want it all tested for toxins before its transferred to the cafeteria." He looked at Lucas. Lucas nodded his head sharply.

* * *

Jack stared up at her captors. She had killed two of them in the apartment, but there were eight of them and just one of her. Besides, one of them had put a knife against her neck and she immediately dropped her blade. She kept her face perfectly blank as they took off through the tunnel, and slowly swallowed the bile that threatened to rise in her throat. Riddick would come for her, she knew it. He had promised.

Toombs glanced down at her and laughed. "Can't believe he was stupid enough to think we wouldn't find him out here... Thought people would believe he's dead." He laughed again, and his crew snickered with him. Her hands were bound with good old-fashioned rope and Riddick had only taught her how to get out of manacles or cuffs because nobody used rope anymore, or so he had thought. Jack ignored them. She wasn't stupid. She was nothing but bait to them, and if she became a hassle, she would be dead bait instead of live bait.

"That fuck Johns," Toombs growled. "Put that dickhead on a cargo ship, think cryo would keep him down... Dipshit." He shook his head and told his crew mates, "Nope. Only way to get Riddick to a slam is in your own ship, covered in metal and bound in chains." He put his attention on Jack again, and she refused to let her fear come out on her face. These weren't Furyans, they couldn't smell it on the air. She felt slightly comforted by that. "What's your name?" he demanded of her. She remained silent, and he backhanded her. "I asked you a question!" he barked.

Scowling, she decided that she would rather be conscious for this ride and thus shouldn't give them a reason to kick her around too much. Besides, how much could they do with her name? "Jack," she told him, and frowned at the taste of blood on her tongue.

He grinned toothily. "Cute. What's Riddick doing with you?" he asked.

She wasn't entirely sure how to answer that. "I dunno," she said honestly. "He takes care of me, has since I was a kid." She wasn't going to lie about simple stuff. They already knew she was close to Riddick, or they wouldn't have kidnapped her. Besides, she was scared and definitely wanted Riddick to come and save her, like hell was she going to tell them she meant nothing to him. She knew better. He had taught her better.

Nodding his head, Toombs then shrugged. "He's got quite a bounty on him, didja know that?" She shrugged again. "1.5 mil," he told her. "You want a piece?" She scowled at him and thought about spitting at him, but settled for shaking her head. Toombs laughed. "Shit, tell me you love the dick!" he crowed. Jack blushed, but didn't reply. Toombs just laughed harder.

* * *

Riddick was on the skiff by the next morning. His vision was clouded red, and he ignored the warnings of Devon and the Imam. He had to find Jack. He knew only one man that had the audacity to steal from him. Devon only confirmed his suspicion with the security tapes from the hallway -- Toombs. Toombs was a dead man. He was still walking and talking, Riddick was sure, but he was dead. Devon had been surprised that Jack took down two men before she surrendered, but Riddick knew she would've done that anyways.

Devon handed him the file of the security tape, and a few other files that he had dug up on the people recognized in the videos. He helped Riddick load up some basic supplies -- food, water, weapons -- and promised that, if he wanted to come back, he could. Riddick wasn't sure. If Toombs could find him, who's to say that others couldn't? He had to admit that Devon was being a help. One of his younger brothers was a technical genius and had figured out where Toombs' next destination was. Riddick was enraged that they were heading for a slam, and his resolve to kill Toombs and everyone on his crew doubled.

Finally, he was able to close the hatch. He did one last mental checklist of what he had before he moved towards one of the take-off tunnels. It opened for him and he rolled forward, waiting for the one behind him to close, and then for the tunnel to pressurize. Once it finished, the outer door opened, allowing Riddick to shoot out towards the stars, aiming directly after Toombs. Toombs was a dead man.

* * *

Toombs and his crew had been poking fun at Jack for the entire time on the ship. They gave her water, and only a little food, saying that they wanted her awake but not strong. She didn't complain. She ignored their taunts, until they told her that Riddick probably wouldn't come for her. Then, she laughed at them, and smiled sweetly, telling Toombs, "He'll come for me. Nothing you can say can make me believe otherwise, so just keep telling me I'm fat -- I'm more likely to believe that." Toombs hit her again, but she was able to ignore that.

"Y'know where we're headed?" the pilot said airily to her one day. They'd tied her into the co-pilot's chair, not thinking that she might actually know how to use her feet. They had taken off her boots as soon as they figured out that she had a switchblade in one, which resulted in the death of another crew member. They were down to just five. She hummed at him as she stared at the buttons on the controls and wiggled her toes, wondering how safe the eject button was and if it would eject her or the actual pilot. "Crematoria - a slam," he said brightly. "It's an underground slam. You'll never see sunlight again." He grinned at her.

Jack rolled her eyes and looked at him. "I lived on a ship for the past five years. I'm used to no sun." She peered back at the controls, and smiled, realizing that they had a homing beacon. If anything would help, that would be it. The pilot turned towards one of the viewscreens, his taunting spoiled, and Jack took advantage of his back being turned. She uncoiled one leg, stretched it over the panel, and hit the switch with her toe before returning to her position. The device didn't make any noise, just turned off their cloaking. She doubted the pilot would notice, but knew Riddick would catch it, even if it was on for just a second.

The pilot realized what she had done faster than she had first expected, but she just gave him an innocent look. "Maybe you nudged it when you turned away," she suggested, and shrugged her shoulders. He cuffed her across the head and she scowled, but didn't complain. If she complained, they'd aim for her stomach next, and she hated having the wind knocked out of her. The pilot looked at the radar and made sure no one had caught their beacon, but like hell was Riddick dumb enough to come within radar. Jack had convinced herself that he was just a step behind them, waiting for them to land. It was a comforting thought, and she believed it.

* * *

Jack had been singing annoying nursery rhymes at the top of her lungs for an hour now. One of the mercs had told her she was acting childish, believing so fully in Riddick, and she decided to show them just how childish she could be. Sure, it probably wasn't a good idea to antagonize her captors, but she figured that she couldn't make it much worse. One of the crewmen snapped first and hauled her up with a bruising grip on her upper arms, bodily shoving her into a utility closet. She silenced almost immediately after the door closed and she realized that it was completely pitch black inside the closet.

Her panic started with short, quick whimpers of breath and escalated to full out screaming until her throat felt raw. She begged them to get her out of the closet, swearing that she wouldn't speak again the entire way if they would just get her out. She started to thrash around when no one replied to her, adrenaline fueling her strength as she managed to kick the door down with a well-placed two-foot kick against the door. As the light came into the room, she began to calm down, and looked up at the two crewmen that were staring down at her incredulously.

"What?" she asked with as much attitude as she could, even though she had tears staining her face and her voice was hoarse from screaming so hard. They laughed and shook their heads. One of them knelt and tied the bindings of her hands onto a hook high on the closet, forcing her up onto her knees. She stuck her tongue out at them and said, "Pff, fine, make me kneel. I don't give a damn." One of them put a hand on the zipper of his pants and her voice died in her throat.

Jack went very still, and forced herself not to panic. He was going to expose the easiest part of his body to bleed, and she just gave him a coy smile as he dropped his pants. She eyed him and schooled her face into indifference. She shrugged. "I've had bigger," she said airily. He slapped her. She pulled up on the ropes and brought one foot forward, planting it square between his legs. The thick skin of her heel dragged hard against his dry skin, and she felt something tear. The wind was knocked out of him and he dropped to the ground. Her foot came back bloody, and she grinned.

His partner went for a knife, and Jack pulled up on the ropes again, bringing her body weight up to plant both feet against his knees. She heard one pop and he stumbled, allowing her to kick him hard in the stomach and face. Blood spurted from his nose as he gasped and he went down beside his buddy.

Toombs came running at the first crewman's whimpers of pain, and laughed at the scene. She just grinned at him innocently. He snickered and told her, "No wonder he likes you." He dragged the two idiots out of her reach, and left her alone in the hallway. Jack snickered triumphantly -- she'd taken down five of Toombs' crew. She knew that at least one of the crewmen that she'd just attacked would be fine. He might have a limp from what she did to his knee, but otherwise, he should be fine. That still left only four men. She might be able to deal with them.

* * *

As the slam came into view, Jack began to get a little worried. The pilot dragged her up to the front viewscreens and showed her the planet. It shone almost like the sun, with a very distinct line between light and darkness. The pilot politely informed her, "It's 700 degrees in the light, 300 below on the dark." He grinned at her. "There's a 20 minute landing window." He drew back her hair and pressed his mouth close to her ear, murmuring, "Take a good, long look at those stars, kid. This is the last time that you'll ever see them." He breathed on her ear as if he were trying to be sexy.

In one motion, Jack slammed her elbow into his solar plexus at the same time that she shoved her head to one side, putting her shoulder into the latter blow and breaking his nose. She elbowed him next in the face, and he crumpled to the floor. She laughed. "Toombs!" she shouted. "I took down another one! I think you need a new crew!" Delightedly, she stomped on the man's ribs and knee caps until Toombs grabbed her from behind and hauled her back to the closet, chaining her against the wall.

He put his hands on his hips and frowned down at her almost fondly. "You're only making me money, kid. Every one you take down gets me another share of that bounty."

Jack tilted her head at him and grinned innocently, a look she had given Riddick often when she knew he was irritated with her, but somehow proud at the same time. Like the one time that she had beat him in chess. Then, something occurred to her. "I don't have a bounty on my head," she said, frowning. "Everyone thinks I'm dead, actually." She shrugged her shoulders.

He barked out a laugh that was so hauntingly similar to Riddick's that it made Jack's heart ache. She hadn't seen him in three weeks. Toombs had caved and fed her, usually once a day, and gave her water when she asked nicely. Usually after she beat the shit out of one of his crew members, which usually wasn't hard. He seemed proud of her, like Riddick would be. She would have to remember each detail, knowing that Riddick would want to hear about it.

Leaning close, Toombs told her, "Not yours, darling. Riddick's. I know he followed us, I'm not stupid. You'd have to mean something to him for him to keep you for five years without fucking you. Riddick doesn't like people fucking with what belongs to him. While we're in the air, he can't get on-board, but I'm willing to bet he'll be right behind us when we land, and he'll be stuck with us for a day before he can get you back out -- if he can at all." He grinned at her. Her face stayed stoic as she was unsure how to respond.

Reaching towards her, he traced her face. "You sure are a pretty little thing... If he didn't follow, maybe I'll keep you around. Seem useful enough." He smiled at her, the first time it was an actual smirk.

Jack knew the immediate response to that, and she turned and sank her teeth into the side of Toombs' hand. "I'd rather be in the slam than work with mercs," she spat at him. Toombs backhanded her with his bleeding hand and cursed at her, threatening to shove her in a dark closet again. She quieted and looked away from him.

Toombs slept as they orbited the planet, waiting for that twenty-minute window. Jack sat in her corner, her ass falling asleep. She tried shifting back and forth but settled for going numb after a few hours. The remaining members of the crew had figured out to leave her alone, and she had been left alone by everyone but Toombs. She didn't bite him when he brought her food, and he hadn't spoken to her again.

When they started to land, Toombs put the tip of a shiv beneath her chin and told her to cooperate and strapped her into a seat. It was bumpy on the way in, and Jack held tight to her seat. Where was Riddick? Toombs pulled her out of the ship and looked behind them. No Riddick. Her eyes widened and her heart sank. Where was he?

* * *

Jack sat in a chair, not in any way comfortable. She was being eyed like a piece of meat. Toombs had taken away her shirt when she'd been a smartass on the way in, mainly to embarrass her since he was past trying to physically hurt her. She was aware now that keeping in shape and training were a blessing and a curse -- they kept her body gorgeous and taught her how to protect it. She would need the ability now more than ever. She knew what happened to women in prison.

Toombs explained his idea to the jailer, and the thin man with the heavy accent reluctantly agreed. He also agreed that Jack should stay topside until Riddick arrived. Jack really wished she knew when that would be. She had expected him to kick in Toombs' head the second they stepped off of the ship, but that hadn't happened. He wasn't docking behind them. He hadn't stormed the place to save her yet. She looked at the clock as the twenty minute window ended.

She would have to wait at least a day. Judging by the way the men in the room were eyeballing her, she didn't know if she would last that long unscathed.

* * *

They left her tied to the chair in the dim office that night. It was nowhere near comfortable, but she somehow managed to get to a position that wouldn't make her wake up with muscle cramps. She didn't want to sleep, but she knew she would need her strength, so she closed her eyes.

She didn't get to sleep for very long. One of the guards came to her in the middle of the night, running his hands up and down her sides. Toombs hadn't told the jailer to bind her feet, regardless of the fact that he knew very well how she could use them to her advantage. Some part of Jack thought that maybe Toombs didn't want her to get raped. Maybe the merc bastard had some kind of a conscience.

At first, she smiled at the guard. He took it as encouragement and moved his hand underneath her bra, straddling her waist. She thanked Riddick for making her stretch every single morning to keep her flexible. He removed her bra and leaned back to get a good look at her. Jack bucked her hips hard against him, tossing him into the air. She brought up a knee and slammed it dead center into his back. He fell to the floor and she lashed out with her feet, kicking him hard in the head with the heel of her foot. She raised both her feet and brought them down hard on his upper back. She heard something crack, and hoped it was a rib. He fell limply to the floor and she knew it was his spine instead. She frowned, but the fact that she no longer had anything covering her upper body made her angry at him and she didn't regret her actions... Though, if she kept this up, she might find a bounty on her own head soon.

Jack eyed the guard warily. As soon as she was satisfied that he was going to stay down, Jack settled back to sleep. She knew the next morning wouldn't be pleasant.

* * *

**Edit Six Hours After Posting**: Is the review button broken? -pokes it with a stick- I average five or six reviews per hundred hits, and thus far haven't gotten any in two days... or are you guys just getting lazy? :D Review por favor! It makes me want to write more.


	7. Somebody's Baby

Here's another chapter that moves pretty quickly. Toombs' motives will seem kind of stupid to begin with, but don't worry! They'll become apparent in the next chapter... as usual. :P

Disclaimer: I don't own Riddick... But I do have a maniacal plan to capture some share of the rights and then give Vin a call...

* * *

Correction. The next morning sucked. She was woken up by a sharp cuff upside her head, where the furious jailer was standing over his dead guard. "What the fuck did you do?" he shouted at her. Toombs came into the room behind him, viewing the situation and coming to the same conclusion that the jailer had. Jack had killed a guard in the dead of night.

Toombs laughed and shook his head, lighting a cigarette. "The dumbass probably tried to rape her... She's not all damsel in distress, she killed five of my crew -- three of them with her hands tied." He shrugged his shoulders. The jailer turned back to Jack again, and Toombs winked at her over his shoulder. Jack snickered. The jailer hit her across the face, harder than Toombs had ever hit her. "Don't kill her," Toombs warned him. "Riddick will tear this place apart if she's dead." He took a drag of his cigarette and looked at the viewscreens in the control room. "Where the fuck is he?" he grumbled.

Jack was wondering the same thing. The twenty-minute landing period was coming up soon, and if he didn't radio through, they wouldn't open the hangar door. A man sat at the control panel, twisting knobs and pushing buttons that meant nothing to Jack. She just stared at the viewscreen showing the time and estimated landing window. Five minutes. She became aware that she was being stared at. Slowly, she looked up at one of the guards that was staring unabashedly at her bare chest. Her lip curled at him and she twisted the chair away from him, toward Toombs. "Can I have my bra back, please?" she asked. He was most likely to give her what she wanted, out of all the men in the room.

At first, none of them responded. Toombs kept smoking and staring at the radar. He glanced at her, and then smirked. "But it's such a pretty view," he protested, but shrugged out of his jacket and covered her front with it. She thanked him. May as well act like a lady, whether or not she was being treated like one. She yawned, and looked back at the time screen. One minute. Her throat choked up as the seconds ticked by. Toombs looked more and more concerned.

Finally, the clock reached zero. "Close the hangar," the jailer instructed. Jack closed her eyes in time with the hangar's outer gate, and ducked her head. She refused to cry in front of all of these men, but damned if her eyes didn't sting. She was so sure that he would come for her. Why should he?

"Well, wanna just take her?" Toombs asked the jailer. Her tears forgotten, Jack's head shot up and she stared open-mouthed at him. He wanted to leave her here?

The jailer shook his head. "No. No girls," he said flatly. He eyed her and his nose wrinkled. "I don't want her either. No, we will not take her. You will leave tomorrow if he doesn't show."

Toombs got angry. "What the fuck do you mean no girls?" he growled. "You're a slam! What do you care what happens to her down there?" He gestured toward the winch that Jack had assumed led into the actual part of the jail.

Again, the jailer just replied, "No girls. It's inhumane."

Slack-jawed, Toombs snorted. "Inhumane? You have nearly six hundred convicts stuck in caves with no lights, no air conditioning, and very little food. You know they kill each other, and you even send dogs down there to kill a few more." He gave the jailer a deadpan look.

With a sigh, the jailer told him, "Universal law. No co-ed slams. We get caught having a woman here, we're shut down, maybe put in slam ourselves. No girls." He folded his arms with his business-like tone, and then told Toombs. "You might want to try Gato. Next galaxy over, all-female prison... Dunno if they'd take her without a bounty." He shrugged at Toombs, and informed him, "You leave tomorrow."

* * *

Toombs led an abnormally quiet Jack back onto the ship. He was angry. The remains of the crew avoided him, and Jack was chained to her wall in the closet. Toombs didn't feed her that day, and she didn't complain. The next day, one of the crewmen, Derek, heard her stomach growling as he walked by. He glanced at her before he turned around back to the kitchen. He fed her an apple, and she didn't fight him. He sat next to her on the wall, frowned as he shifted his weight, and asked her, "How do you do this all day?"

Laughing, Jack replied, "I'm used to having lots of time on my hands... I think about stuff. Try to remember things I thought I couldn't." She shrugged her shoulders, and smirked at him. "Sometimes, I annoy Toombs. That's always fun."

Quietly, Derek told her, "He's thinking about killing you." Jack raised an eyebrow at him. "I didn't sign on to kill women." He shook his head, and held out his hand for her to take another bite of the apple. She chewed thoughtfully, and they fell silent. Jack enjoyed just having someone with her. She was tired of being alone.

Toombs came down from the kitchen, stomping down the hallway. He stopped in front of the two, and put his hands on his hips. "Well ain't this sweet," he said sarcastically. "What'd you tell 'er, boy? I'm gonna kill 'er?" He laughed, and kicked Derek in the shin. "Fuck, man. I don't kill women."

"Stick 'em in slams to be raped and killed instead, eh, Toombs?" Jack replied. He scowled at her and lifted his hand in a threatening manner. She looked away, disinterested.

He sighed in irritation. "You've got two choices. We're either going to drop you on a planet of my choice, or you can sign on to help," Toombs informed her. Jack was unsure. Her first, automatic response was a Riddick-instilled anti-merc attitude. However, she was sure that the planet of Toombs' choice would not be a planet she would like to be on. She still held out hope that Riddick would be behind them, waiting to pick her up as soon as they landed, but what if he wasn't? How well could she really do on her own. "Think about it." Toombs left her alone.

Derek told her, "You could get a few credits out of him, find a job. He'd probably put you somewhere halfway decent, if you're lucky." His voice was quiet.

Jack just nodded lightly.

* * *

Jack stopped in the doorway of the ship, and looked back at Toombs. "Why are you doing all of this for me?" she asked him. It was confusing that he was even letting her go. He just gave a noncommital shrug, and walked away down the hall. Derek who had fed her the day before gave her a hug and handed her a card with a good amount of credits on it. She stared at him and thanked him, and would make a point to tell Riddick not to kill him... if she ever got the chance. The dark thoughts clouded the fact that she was now free to try and contact Riddick and get free. She walked down the ramp and into the port.

Standing in the port, Jack felt vaguely nostalgic. Toombs had decided to leave her on Mars. She knew that she could take care of herself against the usual muggers, rapists, and murderers. She could usually outsmart them when she was a kid anyways. With a deep breath, she straightened the sack over her back. Toombs had given her a bit of food, a jacket, her boots, two shivs, a blanket, and some water. The ship left the ground before she was out of the port. They didn't want to get busted by Riddick. Jack did a quick check of where her weapons were, just so she knew where to grab them from, and set off. She tried not to breathe too deeply, though the scent of sulfur, smoke, and other industrial wastes mixed with the scents of overpopulation in such a lovely way that reminded her of her childhood. It was amazing she didn't have black lung. It wasn't the city she had grown up in, but it was close. It might pay off to go back to her old neighborhood, where she at least remembered her way around and wouldn't get lost.

The first thing she did was check what ships were registered in the port. There was a board that showed all of the ships - what they were called, what they were, and who they were registered to. Apparently, the crime rate had dropped since she had last been there. To Jack, that meant nothing. She didn't see any skiffs, and didn't see any names that rang any bells. She knew if Riddick was here, he'd put something that she'd recognize. She frowned, but resolutely pulled up her chin and walked into the city. She needed to find a job if she wanted to have any kind of luck surviving here. She followed her feet and instincts to a metropolitan street. It didn't look that bad, a little run-down, neglected, but still decent.

After receiving less than hospitable reactions from the first few shops she walked into, Jack expected nothing less from the next. It was a small diner. The food smelled good. She suddenly remembered how long it had been since she had a good meal, and her stomach protested loudly when she thought about skipping the diner. She felt the credit card that Derek had given her. She gave into temptation. If she was going to spend the night on the street, she would at least need a full stomach. She ordered food that she hadn't had since before she'd been made to run away. She remembered a diner like this one in the city where she had grown up, that her father would treat her to when they could afford it. She had always loved to get white meat tenders, fried potatoes, and noodles with cheese. Add that with a sugary soda and she'd be set for the night. She might even get some fried potatoes to go, just to have something to munch on.

Tired and irritated, the waitress came to her table. She was at least five years older than Jack, and the years had not been kind to her. Jack smiled up at her, and the waitress didn't bother smiling back. Instead, she just looked pointedly at Jack with her pen on the order datapad. Admonished, Jack flatly told the waitress what she wanted. She threw in a 'please' for good measure, in hopes that her food wouldn't get spat in. The waitress came back in just a few minutes and set the soda in front of her, and then went outside for a cigarette break. Jack drank her soda slowly, not wanting to waste any, and savored every bit of it. She took in her surroundings. The diner was dingy, old, but not dirty. It had a homey, broken-in feel to it rather than just being trashy. The color scheme was loud, retro, and the linoleum patterns on the table went out of style before Jack was born. Regardless, Jack decided that she liked the place.

The waitress came back inside with a loud, tired sigh. Jack was sitting near enough to the door to venture a question at her, "I don't suppose you're hiring here?"

Surprisingly, the waitress flashed her a brilliant grin. "Actually, we are. There used to be three waitresses here, but the other two ran off last week and I've been running the place since then. Want a job?" The waitress who had been so easily rude earlier now batted her eyelashes at Jack pleadingly.

"Need a job," Jack corrected her, sipping at the soda. "And a place to stay, but they usually come one after the other." She shrugged, and blinked innocently at the waitress. Maybe she had an idea.

With a grin, the waitress sunk into the seat across from her. "You could crash on my couch awhile. My ex just moved out, I'm not too keen on living alone for awhile, if you know what I mean." Jack nodded with a small, girlish smile. She had never gotten along with Furyan girls, they were all too competitive, too jealous, too afraid of Riddick, and too off-put by the fact that she could easily take on any of the Furyan girls. Furyan girls were not known for their warrior skills -- they were known for birthing male warriors, and keeping said warriors happy for the rest of their lives. Defending yourself wasn't unheard of, but women were frowned upon when they used weapons. Jack had distanced herself from the girls on the Fury, usually. She never bothered complaining about it to Riddick, because it never really bothered her. The waitress held out a hand, telling her, "I'm Kelsey."

* * *

And just like that, Jack had a friend, a place to stay, and a job. She was proud of herself for following her instincts down that particular street. Kelsey's couch had a spring that stuck into her back, but Jack forced herself to not care. It was a place to sleep that was safe. Sure, sometimes they would hear gunshots outside at night, but if they turned up the television loud enough, they didn't notice. No one ever came up to their two-inch-thick sliding steel door. There were bars over the windows and the building had a security door downstairs. Jack knew that Riddick could break in easily enough, but she tried not to think about him. If he wasn't here by now, he didn't want her.

Kelsey persuaded the diner's owner to hire Jack. Well, really, it had involved more threats than persuasions, threatening to start trashing the place, leaving him with no waitresses at all. He decided that two was a hell of a lot better than none, and agreed to let Jack work at the diner. They lived more at the diner than at the apartment, having at least one of them there constantly. They pooled their incomes and had a larger budget for food, clothes, and entertainment. They both splurged on horrendous old movies -- the kind that knew they sucked and embraced it rather than trying to be deep. They loved action flicks and had the same sense of humor. They talked late into some nights, and Jack talked about everything but Riddick. Just that she had lived on a ship that never landed, with a man who had saved her life more than once. Kelsey asked her why she sometimes had nightmares, and Jack only told her that she'd crash-landed on a planet with monsters in the dark. Kelsey put a few things together, but never enough to figure out who Jack really was.

One night, as the girls walked home from the laundromat, small bags of clothing over either shoulder, they were followed by a few thugs. Jack had anticipated it in this city, had always carried her shivs with her, and her switchblade boots. Jack smiled at Kelsey and told her, "We're being followed." Kelsey's eyes widened worriedly, and looked ready to run. "Don't worry. There's only three of them," she said, continuing her pleasant tone of voice. She doubted that they could hear her from their distance, maybe just her lilt. She could hear their footsteps, the weight in them, and was able to estimate their size without turning around. All things that Riddick had trained her to do, to the point that she could recognize his footsteps. They were close, but not his. Besides, he'd never stalk his prey from behind -- he preferred coming in from above.

"Come on," she told Kelsey, waving her down a convenient alleyway. There was no way they wouldn't take the bait. She dropped her laundry bag and jumped on top of a dumpster just inside the alley. Kelsey backed further down the alley as she pulled out her shivs. "Don't go far," Jack warned. The three guys moved faster after they turned into the alley and Jack kicked her heels together, allowing the switchblade to pop out of her toe. The first one came out of the alley and she slashed him quickly across the chest. The second swiped for her ankles, but she jumped over the both of them, curving her body and slashing at one in mid-air. She easily took down the first two, but the third appeared to have some training. He got one shiv away from her and pinned her to the wall by her neck. She clawed at his forearm, raising the other shiv for a strike, but he grabbed her wrist in the other.

Previously frozen against a wall, Kelsey moved forward when Jack was pinned. At first she was unsure of what to do, but then she saw the shivs on the ground. She grabbed one and it didn't take much effort to thrust it into the middle of his back, just to the left of his spine. The man dropped Jack suddenly, and fell to his knees. Jack snatched up the other shiv to finish him off, slashing quickly across his throat. He fell backward into the alley, and died with a groan.

Kelsey stared at Jack as she emotionlessly wiped the blood off of her shivs and put the switchblade back into her boot. "Where did you learn to do that?" she breathed. She had always noticed that Jack seemed to have endless agility, balance, and speed at the diner. She carried two trays, full of six plates each, through a Friday-night-full diner, without spilling a thing. She effortlessly remembered everyone's orders, even without the datapad. She had sometimes made a show of vaulting herself over the diner's counter when it was empty. Sometimes, when Kelsey woke up early, she caught Jack doing drills and exercises in the living room. She looked professional.

She paused as she cleaned the blades. Riddick's voice rang in her head. When you're with people you don't know very well, your past is your greatest weapon. Give away as little as possible, and never allow them to get anything to use against you. How would Kelsey react to finding out that she had been trained by a notorious murderer? Jack just shrugged. "The guy that saved my life made a point to make sure that he wouldn't have to do it again," she said ruefully. Kelsey's eyes narrowed, and she looked down at the three bodies. Each man was easily twice their size. Jack sighed. "I'm not sorry for killing them, Kelsey. Do you have any idea what they might have done to us?" She gestured with her shiv at the man that lay at her feet, and Kelsey's eyes only bulged out. Jack frowned and put away the shivs, wondering if she would have to leave.

* * *

Riddick watched as Jack easily took down the first two men. Toombs had to be stupid if he thought Riddick would come after Jack as soon as she was alone. As if he didn't know Toombs had parked in the next city over, waiting for Riddick to come and save Jack. He was only a little angry at Jack for not realizing that, but she was still young. She still trusted people. He hadn't left her completely alone, but had kept his distance, waiting for Toombs to give up. After three months, Riddick was getting tired of waiting. He sat on the rooftop two buildings down from Jack's building, watching Toombs' man camp out on the street corner, disguised as a homeless man. It was common in this part of town, so that no one questioned it. Riddick snorted. Like he would even see Riddick coming. He looked off to his right, towards the port that Toombs' ship was parked in, and wondered about just going and killing Toombs. That would certainly get him off the trail. He shifted his jaw back and forth thoughtfully.


	8. Time After Time

Holy chapter titles, Batman! More song titles. :)

1 - Over the Rainbow (my favorite version is by Me First & The Gimme Gimmes), chosen because it's like they're going over the rainbow, into the Fury, and it's very different, very lucky, and very new.  
2 - Time to Pretend by MGMT, chosen because Riddick and Jack are pretending to be a family when really all they want is to make one together, y'know what I mean.  
3 - Unintended by Muse, chosen for the lyrics - "You could be my unintended choice to live my life extended, you could be the one I'll always love". Sounds like Riddick's thoughts to me. Plus, the song is awesome.  
4 - Save Tonight by Eagle Eye Cherry, chosen because Jack is changing, growing up, and to Riddick, it seems like she's leaving. So he has to "save tonight and fight the break of dawn, come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone".  
5 - Beat on the Brat by the Ramones. Obvious - he beats up Ran in this chapter. :)  
6 - Dashboard by Modest Mouse, chosen because, "the dashboard melted but we still have the radio". The Fury was hit, but is still undetected and functioning. Jack was taken, but Riddick is going after her, and they're both still alive.  
7 - Somebody's Baby by Grand Funk Railroad, chosen because Toombs is counting on the thought that Riddick really cares for her and will really come after her.  
8 - Time After Time (I have three versions, favorite is again by MFGG), chosen because of the reoccuring line. :) You'll see.

The next chapter is going to be awesome too. I haven't written it yet, but I have it in my head. :D

* * *

Toombs paced the ship's floor impatiently. He had replaced the crewmen that Jack had killed. Derek sat in the pilot's chair, pushing himself back and forth, watching Toombs with almost an amused air. "Why hasn't he come for her yet?" Toombs asked himself for the hundredth time. He was near pulling his hair out in frustration. He wanted Riddick. They were almost out of cash.

"Maybe he knows we're still here?" Derek offered. Toombs stopped in his tracks. He hadn't put that idea out of his head. It was certainly possible. He had been hoping that Riddick would be so panicked to get to Jack that he made a mistake. He had underestimated Riddick again, and was paying for it. Toombs grunted, and left the room. Derek sighed and spun back around in the chair to the viewscreens to catch up on the news.

Riddick found the ship easily enough. Toombs hadn't gotten a new one since the last time Riddick had seen him, before Johns had caught him. He remembered the competition it had been just to get to him, how much he had enjoyed the fact that he had men fighting over him. He found it funny. Easy as it was to spot the ship, it was even easier to pick off the small crew one by one as they came out of the ship for one reason or another, until it was just two men left inside the ship. For the first time, he was thankful that Jack had been dropped on Mars. In this neighborhood, no one would really think twice about a dead body. Rather than storming the metaphorical castle, Riddick just left a note on the door of Toomb's ship, pinned there with a dead crewman's knife.

_I'm not stupid, Toombs_.

He enjoyed the fact that he could sound sarcastic even through the written word, gleefully walking back down the dock. A female figure rounded the corner and Riddick ducked out of sight behind another ship. As she passed him, he became curious. There were only two other ships past his hiding place. He peeked around and saw her bang on the hatch of Toombs' ship.

Toombs opened the hatch and snarled at her to be quiet. She handed him the note that Riddick had left, and he smirked. Seeing Toombs' reaction was much better than just imagining it. He kicked the metal doorway and cursed loudly. The girl now stood in more light, and Riddick recognized her. His eyes widened. It was Jack's roommate. He went around the ship, creeping closer. Toombs only had her and one other crewman, there was no way he could take him in right now, even if he was seen. He could hear them speaking from here.

"The girl's a nutcase, Toombs," Kelsey hissed. "She ghosted three guys that were following us like it was nothing! What the hell do you think she's gonna do to me if she finds out?" Riddick smirked. It wasn't an 'if' now.

His reply was heated. "I told you what she did to my guys," he growled. "She was Riddick's ward for years, you act like he wouldn't have taught her anything."

Kelsey whined. "I don't feel safe anymore, Toombs. When she first got here, she just looked like some kid off the street. You were paying me enough, I figured I could deal with it - but seriously? I feel like she's gonna come kill me in my sleep now!" She looked rather distressed. Riddick was tempted to correct her. Jack didn't like the idea of killing people in their sleep. He would, if needs be, but to be perfectly honest he preferred struggling prey. He smirked further as he realized again how much of a predator he really was.

Riddick had all the information he needed. It didn't matter how, why, or when, but Jack's roommate was working for Toombs. No better time to snatch her than when she was away. He turned away and headed swiftly back to Jack's town.

* * *

Nearly four months after Jack had been kidnapped and Riddick tore after her, Ran wandered the halls. He stopped as he saw that he had absently wandered to the apartments, and even further absently wandered his way down the hallway that had previously housed Riddick and his ward. He frowned at the singed walls that had been boarded up. Devon wasn't sure if Riddick was coming back. He wasn't sure if Riddick was alive, or in slam. He wasn't sure if Jack was alive. He sank to the floor against the wall across from the gaping hole.

Ran had been angry at the flat way that Jack turned him down. So easily, and he knew why. She'd never really loved him, she'd always had eyes on that hulking older-brother figure that always glared at him. She talked about him all the time, even when they were on dates. The clincher had been once when she had called out his name in bed. No matter how many times she said she was sorry, he had never really forgiven her for it. He thought that maybe marrying her and taking her away would win her over... but that had sent him down in flames. His anger and jealousy toward the man turned to frustration as he quickly realized how little he could do against the man physically. He decided to go around it, and hurt him indirectly, through information. He knew the man was a convict. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out. With a little research, he found out that he was believed to be dead by the general consensus. That didn't stop Toombs for posting a reward for any information leading to his arrest.

The fifteen grand he had been awarded, half first and the rest later, wasn't even touched yet. He felt too guilty, was paranoid that somehow Devon would notice that his funds had suddenly gotten fat for no reason. He wallowed in his own guilt, regret, and self-pity. Loving a girl who would never love him back.

Regardless, Riddick and Jack might be dead. The mercs had known exactly where Riddick's apartment was, and knew their schedule, knew that there was an hour or so when Jack was completely alone. Lucas had already figured they had inside help, but there was nothing for it now. The mercs were gone. They had taken what they wanted and left. Devon had put the Fury on full-speed a few weeks ago to get as far away from where they were last spotted as possible, worried now that someone had successfully found the ship and left it alive. No one knew how the mercs had figured out exactly where the main circuit breaker was. No one knew how the mercs had known where their supply ships were picking up from. No one knew but insiders - no one but Ran.

Guilt tore at him suddenly. He could've killed two people. He did kill two people, the mercs that had died at Jack's hands before she had been taken. Probably more after Riddick caught up with them, if he did. He could've killed Riddick... That thought brought some spark of joy to him, but... Jack. He may have accidentally killed the woman he loved. He doubted if Toombs intended to pay him the other fifteen grand later, or if he was really going to hand Jack off to him, safe and sound, at the end. For all he knew, she was already dead, Riddick was in a slam, and Toombs was living like a king, having forgotten all about him.

Suddenly and not quite knowing the reason why, Ran felt the insatiable urge to tell the truth. He shoved herself away from the wall, moving with purpose toward Devon's quarters. He banged loudly on the door, demanding entrance.

Devon growled loudly at the door, but opened it as Shannon complained behind him. He had one hand on his unbuttoned pants as he opened the door, protesting as Shannon stormed out angrily. "Shannon!" he whined, about to follow her down the hallway.

Ran put one strong hand on his chest, but it was his words that stopped Devon sharply, "I ratted Riddick out."

* * *

Jack did not want to wake up. She had worked all day at the restaurant. Kelsey had been there too, and sometimes, it had gotten slow so they could sit down, or take turns for breaks. It didn't matter. Twelve hours was twelve hours, and Jack was tired. She lay on her stomach on the sofa, snoring softly. One hand hung off the side, gently grasping a shiv that rested more on the floor than in her hand, but it was there, and hidden mostly by the coffee table. Beyond bars on the windows, security doors, and deadbolts, you never know. Besides, she still didn't fully trust Kelsey. She loved the girl to death, but she had only known her for four months. And, she had left as soon as she thought Jack was asleep that night. Jack never went to sleep until she was absolutely sure that Kelsey was asleep - just another one of her annoying paranoid habits that Riddick had instilled in her.

She hummed as her dream changed, and she smiled in her sleep. Riddick tilted his head at it in the window, and smirked. She never could control her dreams, or her sleep. Riddick was lucky that he just didn't dream. Most Furyans didn't. When they did, they had visions. No dreams.

Before her dream could progress, Jack woke up. She just opened her eyes and didn't know why, but her hand immediately tightened on her shiv. She listened quietly for a few minutes, and when that didn't turn anything up, she rolled off of the couch into a defensive stance. Riddick smirked at the liquid quality and speed of her movement. He had taught her well. He waited patiently to be noticed, not moving or making any sounds, just watching her. The hair on the back of her neck stood up in one swift moment, and she felt a heat between her shoulder blades. She jumped, pointing the shiv at the window. His teeth gleamed brighter than his eyes as he grinned at her.

Dropping the shiv nearly on her foot out of excitement, Jack was only barely able to contain her voice to a strangled squeal of his name. He motioned for her to come and open the window. She did so, and pushed the button that opened the bars in case of emergency. Most people just used it for their laundry, so the alarms didn't work in the building. He climbed in the window with some difficulty due to his sheer size, and she immediately jumped on him in a tight embrace. "I knew you'd come for me," she breathed. "I never had a doubt." She threw the words back at him again gleefully as she wrapped her arms as far around his torso as she could reach.

He raised his hands to her shoulders, almost purring his pleasure at being able to touch her again. "Couldn't for awhile there, Jack. I didn't like your roommate."

"Kelsey?" Jack clarified. "I knew she was up to something." She scowled. As buddy-buddy as Jack had gotten with her, she had never told her the whole truth like she wanted to. She kept her at an arm's length, just in case. Apparently, her sixth sense had been dead-on. Kelsey was nice, probably not to be feared, but definitely not to be trusted.

Riddick ran his hands up and down either side of her spine, focusing above the hemline of her low-cut pajama tank top so that he could feel skin. He liked skin. He liked _Jack's_ skin. He almost forgot to tell her, but his higher brain function seized the controls for long enough to speak. "Toombs is in the next town over, still docked. Kelsey's been watching you for him," he said softly. Jack just nodded. "Ready to go?"

She broke away from him. "Give me five minutes." He wordlessly went to the window to watch for Kelsey's return. No one in this neighborhood ever noticed anyone coming or going unless it was for the right price. This late at night, the price would be high, and Riddick doubted that Toombs would be able to come up with enough money in time to be able to follow him. He smirked. They were going to destroy Toombs... and then they were going home.

That thought stopped him in his tracks. Home? They didn't have a home. They had lived on the Fury because it was safe. They had gotten comfortable on the Fury, but it wasn't home... Was it? He glanced at Jack. "Where do you want to go, Jack?" he asked suddenly.

She froze, and nearly dropped another shiv. Jack looked at him incredulously, as if she were surprised she even had a say in the matter. She thought about it before she answered. The Fury was a bad idea. They had been found there once, there was no telling if that could happen again. She frowned. Personally, she liked being back on Mars, though was willing to bet that Riddick, with his sense of smell, hated it. "What do you think would be a good idea?" she asked slowly. She had no idea what criteria he would choose.

Turning, he flashed another grin at her. "Anywhere. Toombs was the only moron that thought I might still be alive... If we make him disappear, no one will think twice."

"I don't want to kill Derek," she decided. "He was nice. He gave me some credits before Toombs dropped me off." Riddick was pretty sure that wasn't one of the ones he had killed so far... though it was certainly possible. He only gave a dismissive shrug. "I guess we'll have to kill Kelsey too?" she asked uneasily. As untrustworthy as she was, she wasn't mean or anything. Jack didn't think she was a horrible person. Riddick just saw it as covering his tracks, though he just nodded at Jack. He would have to do it himself, but that wasn't new. He didn't mind killing people.

Jack turned to him, smiling brightly. "I'm ready."


End file.
